Three Key Takeaways:
- President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a sweeping plan to restructure the Department of Justice (DOJ), which includes merging the ATF and DEA to increase efficiency and streamline operations, part of his broader effort to drain the Swamp.
- The restructuring plan also aims to consolidate various DOJ divisions, eliminate certain field offices, and reassign key personnel, potentially reducing the size and scope of the federal government.
- While the plan has faced criticism from gun-grabbing groups like Giffords, concerned about reduced resources for gun control enforcement, it represents a major step in Trump’s push to reshape the bureaucracy and improve government efficiency.
Donald Trump promised to drain the Swamp when he ran for President.
Washington, D.C. bureaucrats never took him seriously.
And Donald Trump just devastated the Deep State with one announcement that will change Washington, D.C. forever.
Trump administration advances sweeping DOJ restructuring plan
President Donald Trump promised to reshape the federal government throughout his campaign.
Now his administration has unveiled a plan to dramatically restructure the Department of Justice as part of that effort.
According to documents obtained by the Associated Press, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is spearheading efforts to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
This plan is part of a broader push by the Trump administration to shrink and reshape the federal government that has already led to a slew of legal challenges.
According to the Associated Press, the memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is seeking feedback on a reorganization plan that would combine the DEA and ATF into a single agency “to achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts.”
The Associated Press reports the Justice Department plan also calls for “combining policy offices in Washington and eliminating certain field offices around the country that work on things like antitrust and environmental matters.”
Trump administration pushes forward with DOJ restructuring
The restructuring goes even further, with the AP reporting that “tax division lawyers as well as employees in the section that handles public corruption cases would be reassigned to U.S. attorneys offices, except for a ‘core team of supervisory attorneys’ that would remain in Washington.”
Gun-grabbing groups like Giffords are up in arms over the proposed changes. Executive Director Emma Brown claimed in a statement, “The ATF’s mission is to stop violent gun crime and keep the public safe. Cutting agents by merging the two agencies would reduce resources, weakening efforts to stop gun traffickers, straw purchasers, and gun dealers who are breaking the law.”
President Trump has directed agencies to develop plans for eliminating employee positions and consolidating programs, which has already led to legal challenges.
Questions have been raised about the future of the ATF after FBI Director Kash Patel – in an unusual arrangement – was tapped to simultaneously serve as acting leader of the gun law agency. The ATF has long drawn the ire of conservatives for its role in gun regulation.
Major changes coming to Justice Department structure
The AP reported earlier this month that lawyers in the public integrity section, which oversees public corruption cases, were told they will be asked to take new assignments in the department and as few as five lawyers may remain in the unit.
The memo provided no details about how the two agencies would be combined, or whether some of the agents would be eliminated.
The Justice Department’s reorganization plan is not yet finalized. According to the AP, heads of Justice Department agencies were instructed to respond with any concerns about the proposals by April 2.
