Attorney General Pam Bondi had a showdown with Democrat Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro on Monday as the congresswoman repeatedly interrupted her answers.
DeLauro suggested that a 26% budget cut to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and a planned merge between the agency and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) would interfere in their ability to fight gun trafficking. While Bondi stated that ATF agents would be properly doing their jobs rather than knocking on the doors of legal gun owners, the congresswoman complained that the attorney general had not answered her question.
“I am a career prosecutor and I believe in keeping America safe, making America safe,” Bondi said. “First, what we’re doing is ATF is going to be brought over with DEA. Everyone knows, everyone sitting up here, guns and drugs go together. They go together. We’re going to make it more efficient. What I can tell you is not going to be happening is ATF agents will not be knocking on the doors of legal gun owners in the middle of the night asking them about their guns. They are going to be out on the streets, if I can finish—no, no, no, you asked me a question, now allow me to answer it. So they’re gonna be out on the streets working hand in hand with DEA.”
“Mr. Chairman, I’d like an answer to my question,” DeLauro snapped. “And the question is not being answered. How many ATF law enforcement officers and industry operations investigators do you anticipate will be lost to attrition as a result of the funding reduction you are opposing? You are proposing a 26% cut to ATF for Fiscal Year 2026, as well as a 4.4% cut to DEA. So you’re going to merge the two agencies together and then you’re gonna shortchange their resources so neither one will be able to do their job they were assigned to do.”
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DeLauro accused President Donald Trump’s administration of interfering with federal law enforcements’ attempts to tackle illegal gun and drug trafficking, including fentanyl. DeLauro repeatedly interrupted Bondi and accused her of filibustering her question.
“As I was attempting to answer your question very calmly, unlike you,” Bondi began, before being loudly interrupted by DeLauro.
“Excuse me, Madame Attorney General. Answer, yes or no. Tell me what the numbers are! I don’t want to hear all of your filibuster about this! Go ahead,” DeLauro said. “Please, tell us the numbers.”
“So we are reorganizing. ATF agents want to be out on the street working with DEA agents,” Bondi answered, before being interrupted once again.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is planning to merge the ATF and the DEA, which would need approval from Congress. The consideration to merge the two agencies was introduced by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in a memo, which proposed a broad series of changes at the DOJ.
Bondi argued that ATF agents want to be “out on the streets” with DEA agents to properly conduct their jobs. Before she could finish answer her question, DeLauro once again talked over her to yield her time and claim the DOJ is getting ATF agents off the streets.
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