The IRS kicks off tax season today in an unusual position — the agency is being run by leaders juggling multiple jobs in the wake of a brutal year of turnover and without a confirmed commissioner.
The Trump administration has made it widespread practice to have high-profile leaders wear multiple hats. That’s drawn little pushback from Republicans in Congress.
That’s largely true for the IRS too. Most GOP tax writers we spoke to said they have faith in Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the acting IRS commissioner following the firing of Billy Long, and Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano, who’s in a newly created CEO role. But several told us it’s not their ideal situation on the brink of the IRS’s busiest stretch.
“It’d be better if we had a commissioner, but this can’t affect the tax season,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said. “Everybody’s got to do their taxes, and it’s got to be done under the best conditions we have.”
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said that “ideally we’d have a commissioner in place, but I have confidence in Scott [Bessent],” adding Bessent’s able to handle multiple jobs.
A messy tax filing season could be a particularly acute political problem for Republicans. They’re banking on taxpayers soon feeling the benefits of the One Big Beautiful Bill, the centerpiece of their midterm messaging. Any problems with implementing that law will be a self-inflicted political wound.
The IRS’s long year. The IRS had seven different commissioners in 2025, including Long’s stunningly short tenure. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s mass layoff campaign swept through the IRS, and Congress passed a major tax law.
Bessent and Bisignano’s leadership appears to have brought a level of order to the IRS after all the turmoil, but the 2026 filing season will test it. That’s especially true if there’s a partial government shutdown later this week.
“We need an IRS commissioner, but as long as they’re doing their job … and they’re doing it right now,” House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said.
Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said Bessent and Bisignano are “very competent, and they are doing the job.”
For Democrats, the leadership situation is among many concerns about the IRS under President Donald Trump.
“I think they are leaderless, but unfortunately, they’re staffless too,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said, citing layoffs and budget cuts.
