The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly considering a proposal to merge the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). According to a Reuters report, the plan was detailed in a March 25 memo. Alongside the potential merger, the department is also said to be evaluating the closure of several field offices that handle antitrust, environmental, and civil cases.
The administration believes that merging the ATF and DEA would “achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts,” according to the memo. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche directed department heads and relevant officials named in the document to submit feedback on the proposed restructuring by April 2. Blanche noted that the proposed consolidations and cuts had already been submitted to the Office of Personnel Management and the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Several elements of the plan—including the potential ATF-DEA merger—would likely require congressional approval. The memo did not indicate how many of the Department of Justice’s 115,000 employees could be impacted if the changes are implemented. The proposal comes as President Donald Trump has already taken steps to overhaul the ATF—an agency long mired in controversy due to the infamous Ruby Ridge and Waco incidents—by appointing current FBI Director Kash Patel as acting director. The move signaled the administration’s intent to implement significant cuts and restructuring within the agency.
Earlier this week, the White House confirmed that Patel’s brief tenure as ATF director had concluded. Former Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is now serving as acting director during the transition. Patel has consistently emphasized his goal of reforming the FBI by strengthening its ties and building trust with local law enforcement agencies.
During his confirmation process, he received a record number of endorsements from state and local police departments, as well as support from the National Police Association. Underscoring his commitment to this vision, President Trump nominated Kenneth Charles “Chuck” Canterbury—the current president of the National Fraternal Order of Police—to lead the ATF back in January.