White House Leans Into Accusing GOP Of ‘Defunding’ Police By Attacking Push To Slash ATF

Topline

The White House claimed Thursday the GOP is seeking cuts to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that would empower Mexican drug cartels and thwart the administration’s efforts to “block the flow of fentanyl into the United States,” marking Democrats’ latest effort to flip the script on Republicans by claiming they want to “defund” law enforcement.

US Attorney General Merrick Garland (L) and ATF Director Steven M. Dettelbach (R) arrive for a … [+] briefing on the progress of the launch of the Department’s regional firearms trafficking strike forces to address violent crime, at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on July 20, 2022. (Photo by OLIVER CONTRERAS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates accused “MAGA Republicans in Congress” of “trying to defund and abolish the ATF,” in a statement that alleged “assault weapons purchased in the United States are arming drug cartels and enabling them to outgun law enforcement.”

Bates also attacked Republicans for “obstructing” President Joe Biden’s proposed ban on assault weapons, which he has repeatedly called for in the wake of mass shootings but has long been stalled in Congress.

The statement builds on Democrats’ push to pin the left-leaning “defund the police” slogan, which circulated among some activist circles in 2020 but which the Democratic Party has largely distanced itself from, on Republican attacks on the various law enforcement probes into former President Donald Trump’s conduct.

Bates’ comments on Thursday came one day after Trump called on Congress to “defund the DOJ and the FBI until they come to their senses,” following his historic arraignment and Tuesday speech where he attacked the U.S. justice system, alleging it is engaged in a broad and unwarranted effort to hurt his chances of being re-elected president.

Big Number

70%. That’s the share of firearms seized by Mexican law enforcement that originate in the U.S., according to March 2021 stats from the Government Accountability Office.

Key Background

For years, Republicans and gun rights activists have targeted the ATF, which investigates federal firearm offenses, in their push to loosen gun regulations. The GOP-led House Committee on Oversight and Accountability held a hearing last month titled “ATF’s Assault on the Second Amendment: When is Enough Enough?” and right-wing lawmakers, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) have sponsored legislation to abolish the agency. Republicans effectively blocked the ATF from appointing a permanent director for more than seven years until Biden’s nominee, former U.S. attorney Steve Dettelbach, was confirmed last year in a mostly party-line vote.

Chief Critic

“I hope that we can act to put an end to this ATF overreach, and I would suggest that the most effective approach is to reduce funding or, better still, eliminate all funding. And even better, eliminate this woke, weaponized agency,” Rep. Andy Biggs, (R-Ariz.) said at last month’s Oversight and Accountability hearing.

Tangent

Republicans recently took aim at a new ATF rule that requires a license to own pistols with stabilizing braces like the one used by the Colorado gunman who killed 10 people inside of a Boulder supermarket in March 2021. Republican Reps. Andrew Clyde (Ga.) and Richard Hudson (N.C.) introduced a resolution last month to conduct a congressional review that could upend the rule, though any measure would likely fail in the Democratic-controlled Senate. The National Rifle Association—which has successfully lobbied Congress over the years to limit the ATF’s budget and authority—has also filed a lawsuit challenging the new rule, claiming it “demonstrates a clear abuse of power by the ATF,” National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action Jason Ouimet said in a statement. ATF is also responsible for enforcing a Biden Administration rule that regulates “ghost guns,” or gun kits that can be assembled at home, a move opposed by some Republicans.

What To Watch For

Biden is seeking a 7.4% increase in ATF funding in his fiscal year 2024 budget proposal released last month. Republican gun-rights proponents in Congress have expressed plans to block the additional funding, however. “So I don’t see them getting an increase in any way,” Clyde told Roll Call. Republicans are expected to release their counter-proposal to Biden’s budget in the coming months. Congress needs to pass a new budget before the current spending plan expires at the conclusion of the current fiscal year at the end of September.

What We Don’t Know

The outcome of the various law enforcement investigations into Trump’s conduct. He pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records on Tuesday in connection with a hush-money scheme to silence negative stories about him ahead of the 2016 presidential election, according to Manhattan prosecutors. He is also facing Justice Department investigations into his role in the leadup to the January 6 Capitol riots and his handling of classified documents after leaving office. Both probes have ramped up in recent months. Justice Department investigators have reportedly gathered evidence to show Trump obstructed its classified documents probe. Former Vice President Mike Pence also said Wednesday he will not fight a judge’s order for him to testify before a grand jury in its January 6 investigation.