Billy Long

Billy Long
Official portrait, 2026
United States Ambassador to Iceland
Assumed office
August 10, 2026
PresidentDonald Trump
Preceded byCarrin Patman
51st Commissioner of Internal Revenue
In office
June 16, 2025 – August 8, 2025
PresidentDonald Trump
DeputyGary Shapley
Preceded byDaniel Werfel
Succeeded byScott Bessent (acting)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Missouri's r district
In office
January 3, 2011 – January 3, 2023
Preceded byRoy Blunt
Succeeded byEric Burlison
Personal details
Born
William Hollis Long II

(1955-08-11) August 11, 1955 (age 71)
Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)
Barbara Long
​
(m. 1984)​
Children2
Awards
Long's voice
On the Information and Communication Technology Strategy Act
Recorded October 19, 2021

William Hollis Long II (born August 11, 1955) is an American auctioneer and politician who has been the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland since 2026. He was the 51st Commissioner of Internal Revenue for a few months in 2025. He was the U.S. Representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023. He is a Republican.

In August 2021, Long announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in the 2022 election. He lost the Republican nomination to Eric S. Schmitt in the August primaries.

In December 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Long to serve as the Commissioner of Internal Revenue under his second administration. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2025. Two months later, he was removed by President Trump from the role and instead was nominated to be the United States Ambassador to Iceland.

Early life

Long was born in Springfield, Missouri. He went to University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri however he dropped out. After taking time off from school for three years, Long went to a nine-day training program at the Missouri Auction School in Kansas City. In 1984, he married Barbara Long. They have two children.

Long owned Billy Long Auctions, LLC. He was also a talk radio show host on the Springfield-based station KWTO. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors.

Political career

Long joined the race for the 7th congressional district after incumbent U.S. representative Roy Blunt chose to run for the U.S. Senate. In the crowded seven-way Republican primary, the de facto election in the state's most Republican district, Long won with 36% of the vote.

After Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election and Donald Trump refused to say that he lost, Long support Trump’s claims of fraud in the election. In December 2020, Long supported an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court trying to overturn the results of the election.

In August 2021, Long announced his candidacy for the United States Senate in the 2022 election. He lost the Republican nomination to Eric S. Schmitt in the August primaries. He left congress in 2023.

On December 4, 2024, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Long to be the Commissioner of Internal Revenue under his second administration. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 12, 2025 by a 53-44 vote. He was sworn-in four days later on June 16, 2025.

On August 8, 2025, President Trump removed Long as commissioner of the IRS, less than two months after his confirmation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent became acting commissioner.

Long later announced that he was nominated to be Ambassador to Iceland by President Trump shortly after being removed as IRS commissioner. During his confirmation hearing in January 2026, Long said that it was possible for Iceland to become the 52nd state of the United States. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in May 2026 by a 46 to 43 vote.

References

  1. ↑ "Representative William H. Long (Billy) (R-Missouri, 7th) – Biography from". LegiStorm. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  2. ↑ John Bicknell 112th Congress: Billy Long, R-Mo. (7th District))[permanent dead link] CQ Politics November 3, 2010
  3. 1 2 Fields, Ashleigh (2024-12-04). "Donald Trump names Billy Long as IRS head". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-12-04.
  4. ↑ "About Billy Long". Billy Long for Congress. 2010-11-02. Archived from the original on 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  5. 1 2 "Meet Vicky". billyforcongress.com. 2020-08-17. Archived from the original on 2020-08-17.
  6. ↑ "Top Missouri Republicans embrace Trump's resistance to election results". Rolla Daily News. 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020.
  7. ↑ Huguelet, Austin. "Missouri Republicans back Texas AG lawsuit to overturn Trump loss". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  8. ↑ Court document supremecourt.gov
  9. ↑ "We Will Object". U.S. Representative Billy Long. 31 December 2020.[permanent dead link]
  10. ↑ Bowman, Bridget (August 3, 2021). "GOP Rep. Billy Long joins Missouri Senate race". Roll Call. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ Missouri Primary Election Results at NPR
  12. ↑ "Billy Long confirmed to lead IRS amid calls for reform and oversight". Gov Exec.com. 16 June 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Long sworn in as the 51st IRS Commissioner". IRS. Retrieved June 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Trump removes Billy Long as IRS commisioner less than 2 months after his confirmation". AP News. 2025-08-08. Retrieved 2025-08-08.
  15. ↑ @auctnr1 (August 8, 2025). ""It is a honor to serve my friend President Trump and I am excited to take on my new role as the ambassador to Iceland. I am thrilled to answer his call to service and deeply committed to advancing his bold agenda. Exciting times ahead!" - Billy Long" (Tweet) – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Jochecová, Ketrin (2026-01-15). "Iceland demands answers from US after Trump ally cracks 52nd state joke". Politico. Retrieved 2026-01-15.
  17. ↑ "PN730-43 – William Long, of Missouri, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Iceland, 119th Congress (2025–2027)". www.senate.gov. May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 18, 2026.

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