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Bessent to remain IRS commissioner for Trump
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to the press, on the day of U.S.-China talks on trade, economic and national security issues, in Madrid, Spain, September 15, 2025.
Violeta Santos Moura | Reuters
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will remain in his role as commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, with a new official to be announced as his top deputy, CNBC’s Eamon Javers has learned.
Bessent took over the IRS in August after President Donald Trump removed Billy Long from the post just two months after his confirmation. No prior Treasury secretary also had led the IRS, raising questions over politicization of the tax collection service. Long has since been nominated to be the U.S. ambassador to Iceland.
Though the situation was supposed to be temporary, Trump has decided he wants Bessent to keep control of the organization, sources familiar with the matter tell CNBC.
While Bessent will maintain the role as commissioner, he is expected to announce that Frank Bisignano will service in the newly created position of CEO at the IRS. Bisignano currently is serving as commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
His new role will have Bisignano overseeing all day-to-day operations at the IRS, while also serving as commissioner at the SSA.
Bisignano previously served as president and CEO of Fiserv , the world’s largest financial services and payment technology company. He led the 2019 merger of Fiserv and First Data while serving as CEO of First Data.
In addition, he also served as co-chief operating officer and CEO of the mortgage banking unit of JPMorgan Chase in the 2000s. Before that, he served in various roles at Citigroup.
Both Bessent and Bisignano are expected to wear two hats indefinitely within the administration.
In addition to his roles at Treasury and IRS, Bessent has been leading the search to replace Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell when his term expires as central bank chief in May 2026. Some 11 candidates have been interviewed so far, with that group expected to be pared down as soon as this week and then a group of three to five finalists sent to Trump, Bessent said recently on CNBC.
