United States IRS Commissioner Fired, Then Nominated As Ambassador To Iceland

Billy Long, an American congressman from Missouri, was removed from his position as the head of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) on Friday. The IRS is the service responsible for collecting federal taxes and overseeing the federal tax legislation, and his appointment to the position just two months ago was controversial due to his lack of experience in the field. The same day as his firing, he announced that United States President Donald Trump had appointed him as the new ambassador to Iceland.

Sharing the news on social media, the congressman posted on X: “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!”

The nominated ambassador continued in a second post, “So I called @realDonaldTrump last night and told him I wanted to join ICE and I guess he thought I said Iceland? Oh well. 🤷‍♂️.” To close out the thread, he shared the link for the tourist information site guidetoiceland.is.

“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

— Billy Long (@auctnr1) August 8, 2025

The ambassador’s appointment must first be confirmed by the United States Senate, which is on recess until September, and it is unclear when his nomination will be confirmed. Mbl.is reports that Foreign Minister Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir hopes the process will be swift, with her noting that “it’s always good when things like this happen quickly.”