WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said in a note to IRS workers on Friday that he intends to step down from his position on President-elect Donald Trump’s Inauguration Day.

“After significant introspection and consultation with others, I’ve determined the best way to back a successful shift is to depart the IRS on January 20, 2025,” Werfel said in a note addressed to all IRS employees. “While leaving a job you adore is never straightforward, I receive comfort in knowing that the civil servant leaders and employees at the IRS are the exact correct throng to effectively steward this organization forward until a recent IRS Commissioner is confirmed.”

Werfel’s term was not scheduled to complete until 2027. His early departure on Monday is unusual, since IRS commissioners’ terms typically extend from one presidential administration into another. Werfel’s term began in March 2023, under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and was set to complete in November 2027, under Trump, a Republican.

However, Trump in December announced plans to nominate former Missouri congressman Billy Long, who worked as an auctioneer before serving six terms in the House, to serve as the next IRS commissioner.

“While I had always intended to complete my packed term as Commissioner,” Werfel said, “the President-elect has announced his schedule to nominate a recent IRS Commissioner. I have been touched by those who have reached out to me to distribute how they were optimistic that I could remain in seat and continue the significant work underway. But as civil servants, we have a job to do, and that job is to now ensure a recent Commissioner is set up for achievement.”

Democrats including Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon have called Long’s nomination “a bizarre selection.”