The Trump White House abruptly pushed out IRS Commissioner Billy Long on Friday after a tense, behind-the-scenes clash over whether the agency should hand over taxpayer data to help immigration authorities locate undocumented immigrants. The dispute unfolded just hours before Long’s removal, according to reporting by The Washington Post and CNN.

Multiple sources told The Post that the Department of Homeland Security sent the IRS a list of more than 40,000 names on Thursday, urging the agency to confirm addresses using confidential tax records. The request, part of a broader push that could eventually target millions, came under a controversial April agreement between the Treasury Department and DHS – a deal IRS privacy lawyers had opposed.

When the IRS verified fewer than three percent of the names, mostly those linked to individual taxpayer identification numbers, White House officials pressed for more data, including whether those taxpayers had claimed the earned income tax credit. Long refused telling top executives the agency would not provide information beyond the limits of its DHS agreement, citing taxpayer privacy protections, sources said.

The following day, Long was out. The White House insists the move had long been planned. ‘Any absurd assertion other than everyone being aligned on the mission is simply false and totally fake news.’ with a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson defended the arrangement as a way to ‘ensure that sensitive taxpayer information is protected, while allowing law enforcement to effectively pursue criminal violations.’

In a statement that attempted to frame his ouster as a promotion, Long announced on Friday that Trump would nominate him as US ambassador to Iceland. ‘It is [an] honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland,’ he wrote on X. ‘I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!’

Long even joked about the assignment quipping: ‘I saw where Former Superman actor Dean Cain says he’s joining ICE so I got all fired up and thought I’d do the same. So I called @realDonaldTrump last night and told him I wanted to join ICE and I guess he thought I said Iceland? Oh well.’ But behind the levity lies an agency in turmoil. Long, a former Missouri congressman with little tax experience and a history of railing against the IRS, was the seventh person to lead the service since Trump took office in January. His two-month tenure followed a rapid-fire succession of commissioners driven out by resignations, retirements, and fights over policy.

According to CNN, Long’s management style was particularly unorthodox and would regularly blast out mass emails to the agency’s entire workforce, sometimes encouraging staff to take off early on Fridays. The day before he was forced out, Long sent an email with the subject line ‘It’s Almost FriYay,’ sharing advice from a fraternity brother he claimed now runs the parent company of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. In his email he spoke of ‘building a new culture at the IRS’ before telling employees to leave 70 minutes early. ‘With this being Thursday before another FriYay, please enjoy a 70-minute early exit tomorrow,’ Long wrote. ‘That way you’ll be well rested for my 70th birthday on Monday.’ He signed off informally, ‘Call Me Billy.’

His replacement will be Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent who was appointed acting IRS chief as the administration searches for a permanent leader. A inspector general report from July found the IRS lost roughly 25 percent of its workforce under Trump amid budget cuts and buyouts. The leadership churn has been equally severe: Biden-appointed commissioner Danny Werfel resigned when Trump took office; acting chief Doug O’Donnell abruptly retired in February; Melanie Krause resigned in April after the controversial DHS tax-data deal; Gary Shapley’s brief appointment was blocked by Bessent; and Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender served as acting commissioner before Long’s Senate confirmation in June.