IRS Gets Seventh Head This Year: Meet Social Security's 'Efficiency' Export
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has appointed Frank Bisignano, head of the Social Security Administration, to simultaneously lead the IRS as its first-ever CEO. Axios frames this as a move to tackle 'immense challenge' and staffing issues, conveniently omitting that the 'efficiency' expert, per the Wall Street Journal, gets to skip Senate confirmation. That's seven IRS heads this year, including
one ousted by the Trump administration and another who resigned after a data-sharing deal with immigration authorities. A new IRS chief every few months—what could go wrong? Critics might wonder if this rapid, confirm-skip appointment signals a commitment to public service or just a commitment to avoiding public scrutiny. Bisignano, hailing from JPMorgan Chase, knows a thing or two about 'driving
growth and efficiency' for institutions that often face public mistrust. Now, with SSA and IRS linked, 'data sharing could presumably be more streamlined.' Convenient, no? Especially when the agencies are reeling from 'DOGE cuts'—or budget cuts, as normal people call them—but somehow always find 'efficiency' when skirting checks and balances.