Justice Department eyes combining ATF and DEA as part of broad restructuring

WASHINGTON — Justice Department leadership is proposing cutting some offices and dramatically restructuring the department, including combining the two agencies responsible for enforcing drug and gun laws, according to a memo reviewed by the Associated Press.

The memo from Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche is seeking feedback on a reorganization plan that would combine the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into a single agency “to achieve efficiencies in resources, case deconfliction, and regulatory efforts.”

It’s part of a push by the Trump administration to shrink and reshape federal government agencies that has already led to a slew of lawsuits. President Trump has directed agencies to develop plans for eliminating employee positions and consolidating programs.

Perhaps the most sweeping part of the Justice Department’s plan is a push to merge the DEA and ATF, which are both currently led by separate directors and are tasked with separate missions. The memo included no details about how the two agencies would be combined, or whether some of the agents would be eliminated.

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 agency that’s responsible for enforcing firearms laws. The ATF has long drawn the ire of conservatives for its role in gun regulation.

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.

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, according to the proposal. 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.

A Justice Department spokesperson didn’t immediately provide a comment on the plan, which has not been finalized. Heads of Justice Department agencies were instructed to respond with any concerns about the proposals by April 2.

Richer writes for the Associated Press.