Justice Department eyes combining ATF and DEA as part of broad restructuring
LA TimesThe Department of Justice headquarters building in 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. 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. 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 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.
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