Nearly half of President Donald Trump’s Senate-confirmed Treasury appointees have quit or been forced out in an embarrassing exodus for Secretary Scott Bessent.
Seven of the 16 Senate-confirmed Treasury appointees—roughly 44 percent—have exited, according to the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service.
The amount dwarves the appointee turnover during the George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and first Donald Trump administration.
Former officials told NOTUS the historic churn stems from demands that appointees bend or break tax law.
The total doesn’t even include Bessent’s own office, which has churned through at least three chiefs of staff. At least four top officials departed after resisting White House pressure to violate tax regulations. Key flashpoints included turning over confidential taxpayer data for the administration’s immigration crackdown and creating a $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies in exchange for dropping IRS audits of Trump and his family—a proposal abandoned after Senate Republicans balked.
Former officials warn that compliance demands have pushed presidential appointees past legal boundaries. Mark Mazur, a former acting assistant secretary for tax policy who served under both parties, noted that many appointees face career ruin or disbarment if they comply with orders that go “well beyond the norm.”
White House spokesman Kush Desai defended the record, asserting that Trump and Bessent have led “the most transformative Treasury Department in modern history.”
The high-level departures far exceed historical norms. The Obama and Biden administrations suffered zero confirmed appointee losses at this point in their terms, while the Bush administration and Trump’s first term lost two each.
Turnover across other agencies under Trump remains significantly lower, with the State Department losing one confirmed appointee and the Defense Department losing two.
The roster of departed officials features established Republicans who broke with the White House. John Hurley, a Trump donor and undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, stepped down after raising constitutional concerns over a crackdown on international payments out of Minneapolis.
Ken Kies, an assistant Treasury secretary and acting IRS chief counsel, was pushed out for resisting political interference in audits. Billy Long, the Senate-confirmed IRS commissioner, was ousted after refusing to share private tax records with the Department of Homeland Security.
Treasury General Counsel Brian Morrissey resigned within hours of the administration unveiling the $1.8 billion fund for Trump’s allies.
Former officials and tax experts caution that leaving leadership posts vacant threatens long-term policy. Nina Olson, former head of the Taxpayer Advocate Service, stated that appointees fear civil or criminal liability.
Tax Foundation President Daniel Bunn warned that unfilled roles threaten the implementation of tax overhaul legislation, while former IRS Commissioner Mark Everson noted that stretched leadership compromises the department’s ability to respond to financial crises.
The Treasury has been contacted for comment.
