Amidst cuts and other shakeups at the IRS, the Senate voted along party lines Thursday to approve Billy Long, a former House representative, to lead the tax-collecting agency.

The process, which started in December with President Trump's announcement of his intent to nominate Long as head of the IRS, has now been completed with a vote of 53 to 44, as Fox News reported.

Long, a former six-term Missouri congressman, will join the IRS at a time when the left sees changes as a possible problem, but Trump's vision is being implemented; the agency has laid off thousands of employees this year and plans to lay off even more.

More Changes at Treasury

Improving IRS technology and relying more on AI to increase tax compliance has also been a major goal for the Treasury Department.

Democrats were vehemently opposed to Long's confirmation, citing his associations with corporations that advocated for what seemed to be nonexistent tribal tax credits and his personal role in promoting the Employee Retention Credit, an incentive program implemented during the pandemic that had thousands of claims.

After Trump campaigned for Harvard to lose its tax exemption, Democrats began to worry that Long would let the White House interfere politically.

From The Left

“Under Mr. Long, the IRS will become the Department of MAGA Crooks. Donald Trump will use the IRS as he has used other agencies to punish his political opponents, to help cheaters and tax evaders, all while hardworking families watch billionaires pay less in taxes,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday.

Senate Finance Committee ranking Democrat Wyden cited a letter he wrote to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles earlier this week in which he voiced his disapproval of what he saw as an inadequate background investigation into Long.

“Publicly available information raises very troubling questions of personal wrongdoing that merit serious and thorough investigation,” Wyden wrote.

“According to court documents, Mr. Long is implicated in a bribery conspiracy involving a healthcare company located in his Missouri district while he was a member of Congress. The case resulted in convictions and guilty pleas of more than a dozen people, including elected officials, businessmen, and lobbyists.”

From the Right

During his nomination, Republicans said that Long had persuaded them that he was qualified for the position The Republican tax writers in Congress have also spoken highly of him.

“I am confident Commissioner Long will bring his Missouri ‘Show Me State’ attitude to the agency — demanding results, transparency, and accountability from day one,” said a fellow Missouri Republican, Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, who served with Long in the House.

At the time of his appointment, Trump offered his endorsement of the nominee, saying, “I am pleased to announce that former Congressman Billy Long, of the Great State of Missouri, will be appointed to serve as the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service.

“Billy brings 32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country,” he added.