House Republicans have once again introduced legislation to abolish the ATF. Are the days numbered for the alphabet agencies? Former Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida introduced a similar bill in 2023 that went nowhere, but under the Biden administration and a Democrat majority in the Senate, what chance did the bill stand? Now, the political climate in the Swamp is a bit different. President-elect Donald Trump has expressed his desire to abolish the Department of Education, and some GOP lawmakers indicate that executive agencies and others are also in the crosshairs.
Abolish the ATF – Can It Be Done?
Could the 119th Congress pass legislation that abolishes the ATF – or ED, or EPA, or any other alphabet soup agency? It’s certainly more possible than it was the last time such a task was attempted, in 2023. Then, Republicans had a slight majority in the House but held the minority in the Senate and lacked executive backing.
After the ATF policy change in February of 2023 that turned legally owned pistols equipped with legally owned stabilizing braces into short barrel rifles, which are more heavily regulated, Rep. Gaetz introduced his legislation. It was simple – a one-page bill that declared the ATF abolished. It never saw a vote. Even if it had gone to vote – even if the House had passed it – it would have been a symbolic action only. The anti-gun Democrat majority in the Senate would never have let the bill reach the president’s desk, and Joe Biden – who ordered the agency to issue new rulings as an alternative to the strict gun control he couldn’t get from Congress – would never have signed it.
This new version, introduced by Reps. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) and Eric Burlison (R-MO), technically stand a better chance, but it’s still a tall order. That's assuming it makes it out of the House – remember, Republicans held a House majority last time and it never even came up for a vote. But say it does. Even a 53-47 lead in the Senate probably won’t be good enough. Even if every Republican backed the measure, they would still need half a dozen Democrats to cross the aisle to achieve the necessary 60 votes. That said, if Congress actually voted on and passed such a bill, it might be a “drain the Swamp” sort of thing Donald Trump would sign.
Pulling funding for the ATF and other agencies like it, however, might be achieved more easily through budget reconciliation, which is immune to filibusters and requires just a simple majority to clear the Senate. As well, Trump can always direct policy changes just as Biden did, but in the opposite ideological direction.
The Bigger Picture
This attack on the ATF is just one piece of a larger movement. Other bills have already been introduced in the House to abolish the IRS and end income tax, as well as to get rid of OSHA. Lawmakers who co-sponsored the ATF abolition bill have also called for an end to the EPA and the Department of Education – something Trump has also supported.
Perhaps Congress can abolish the ATF and other three-letter agencies. Maybe funding can be cut or redirected, or the president can alter agency policy. Even if nothing ultimately comes of these bills, the fact that Trump and congressional Republicans are on the same page about draining the Swamp comes through loud and clear – and the bureaucrats who run these powerful entities are on notice.
