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6mo ago

Bondi Confronted Over DOJ Cuts and ATF-DEA Merger at House Hearing

House members warned that deep cuts to the ATF and DEA risk undermining enforcement of drug and gun trafficking laws during heightened Iran tensions.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations at the U.S. Capitol on June 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Committee met to hear testimony on the 2026 Fiscal Year request for the Department of Justice.
Attorney General Pamela Bondi arrives to testify at the House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations panel hearing on Monday.
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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 23: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations at the U.S. Capitol on June 23, 2025 in Washington, DC. Bondi was questioned about the 2026 Fiscal Year request for the Department of Justice. (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The DOJ’s FY 2026 budget proposal drops to $33.6 billion, cutting about $2.5 billion and eliminating roughly 5,000 positions across the department.
  • ATF funding would shrink by 26 percent, eliminating 541 industry operations investigators and reducing its capacity to regulate firearms and explosives industries by about 40 percent.
  • DEA funding would fall by 4.4 percent under the plan and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program would face a 34 percent budget cut.
  • A memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche recommends merging the ATF with the DEA to boost efficiency, a change that requires congressional approval.
  • Democrats cautioned that cuts to counterterrorism, counterintelligence and threat-screening programs could weaken U.S. security as the FBI monitors potential Iranian sleeper cells.