- Key insight: Bisignano will lead both the Social Security Administration and the IRS.
- Forward look: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will continue to be acting commissioner of the tax agency.
- What’s at stake: The IRS is running with heavily reduced staff as major tax changes loom.
WASHINGTON — Frank Bisignano, the former chairman and CEO of Fiserv and current head of the Social Security Administration, is stepping into the newly created position of CEO of the Internal Revenue Service, becoming another Trump administration appointee to serve in multiple roles in the administration.
Bisignano’s role as
At the IRS, Bisignano will oversee day-to-day operations while reporting to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
“The IRS and SSA – two of the most public-facing and broadly impactful federal agencies – also share many of the same technological and customer service goals,” Bessent said in a statement. “This makes Mr. Bisignano a natural choice for this role.”
Bessent has been acting commissioner of the IRS since former lawmaker Billy Long was removed from the role to become ambassador to Iceland
after less than two months following his confirmation.
Leadership at the IRS has been a particular sore spot for the Trump administration, which has gone through seven people, including Long and Bessent, serving as commissioner since the beginning of the year. The IRS has also seen dramatic reductions under the Trump administration’s bid to slash government agencies, all while the agency grapples with a slew of tax changes and cuts put into place by the Republican-led Congress.
A law extending expiring tax breaks and creating new ones for tax year 2025, such as deductions for tipped workers, overtime pay and high state and local tax bills, are expended to stretch the agency’s resources in the next filing season.
With Bisignano, the administration puts into place someone with deep experience leading large organizations that manage complicated data and technology products, even in the tax space. Fiserv, a banking core software provider, also provides payment technology for federal, state, and local governments to collect tax payments.