Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has appointed his deputy Michael Faulkender as the next acting commissioner of the IRS after the incumbent leader Gary Shapley, the agency’s current leader, urging Elon Musk without his knowledge.
“The trust must be brought back to the IRS,” Bessent said in a post to X on Friday.
Bessent said Shapley’s Justice Department investigation into whether former President Joe Biden’s son was underpaid taxes has stalled, and he has gained a reputation among conservative circles and will remain “one of my top advisers.” The finance minister said another IRS employee, Joseph Ziegler, will also secure a long-term senior government position.
The move comes after The New York Times reported that Bessent complained to President Donald Trump that Musk had been appointed as the agent head of the agency.
The conversion means that since Trump took office less than 100 days ago, the IRS will now have a fifth acting commissioner and a third in less than a week. Melanie Krause, the agency’s former head, resigned after the Treasury agreed to provide taxpayer data to help immigration and customs enforcement promote deportation, although there are long-standing privacy provisions.
The IRS, in Trump’s efforts to deprive universities and nonprofits, he sees as the political enemy of its tax-free status.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but when you see how bad their behavior is, we’re going to be very strongly focused on the subject of tax-free status,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday.
IRS Commissioner Danny Werfel, appointed by former President Joe Biden, resigned in January shortly after Trump’s inauguration and was replaced by Doug O’Donnell, who resigned a month later.
Faulkender previously led the salary protection program in Trump’s first administration. He will continue to hold the position until the Senate confirms former House member Billy Long.
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