Overview

• The 2026 budget blueprint projects that merging the ATF and DEA will reduce annual spending by about $468 million.
• Under the plan, 541 industry operations investigators would be eliminated, cutting the ATF’s capacity to regulate firearms and explosives by roughly 40 percent.
• Everytown for Gun Safety and other prevention groups warn that the staffing cuts will undermine efforts to monitor licensed dealers and prevent guns from reaching criminals.
• Separately, the administration has authorized sales of forced-reset triggers and blocked $1 billion in student mental health grants designed to curb school gun violence.
• House Republicans including Reps. Eric Burlison and Lauren Boebert have introduced legislation to abolish the ATF, arguing it infringes on Second Amendment rights.