In brief
WASHINGTON (AP) — Frank Bisignano, current Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, has officially taken on the role of CEO of the IRS, as announced on Monday. Reporting to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, this dual role underscores the ongoing restructuring within federal agencies under the Trump administration. The implications of this appointment and its requirement for Senate confirmation remain uncertain.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano was named to the newly created position of CEO of the IRS on Monday, making him the latest member of the Trump administration to be put in charge of multiple federal agencies.
As IRS CEO, Bisignano will report to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who currently serves as acting commissioner of the IRS, the Treasury Department says. It is unclear whether Bisignano’s newly created role at the IRS will require Senate confirmation.
The Treasury Department stated that Bisignano will oversee all day-to-day IRS operations while continuing to serve as commissioner of the Social Security Administration.
Bessent said in a statement that the IRS and SSA “share many of the same technological and customer service goals. This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role.”
The move to install Bisignano at the IRS adds another layer to the leadership shuffling that has occurred at the agency since the beginning of Trump’s term. Bessent was named acting commissioner in August after Trump removed former U.S. Rep Billy Long from the role less than two months after his confirmation, and made him ambassador to Iceland.
The four acting commissioners who preceded Long in the job included one who resigned over a deal between the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security to share immigrants’ tax data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and another whose appointment led to a fight between former Trump adviser Elon Musk and Bessent.
With two day jobs, Bisignano joins a number of other Trump administration officials to wear multiple hats, including Bessent, Marco Rubio, Sean Duffy, Jamieson Greer, and Russell Vought.
Bisignano has served as chair of Fiserv, a payments and financial services tech firm, since 2020. He is a one-time defender of corporate policies to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination.
