During a fiery House Appropriations Committee hearing, Attorney General Pam Bondi was grilled by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) over proposed deep cuts to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). According to a Forbes Breaking News video of the hearing, DeLauro didn’t hold back, accusing Bondi and the Trump administration of “short-changing” federal law enforcement efforts to stop illegal gun trafficking and drug flow.
The heart of DeLauro’s frustration was a proposed 26% cut to the ATF’s budget for 2026, a reduction that, according to DeLauro reading from the DOJ’s own budget summary, would eliminate over 500 industry operations investigators and nearly 200 agents. “It is clear the direction you are headed with this budget,” she said. “This proposal will weaken our ability to stop gun trafficking.”
Bondi Defends Merging ATF and DEA
Bondi pushed back by revealing a plan to merge the ATF with the DEA, arguing that such a combination would reduce redundancy and make both agencies more efficient. “Everyone knows guns and drugs go together,” Bondi said during the hearing, as quoted by Forbes Breaking News. “We are putting agents on the street where they want to be.”
However, the merger raised eyebrows across the gun rights community, not because of the cost savings, but because of the implications. Critics argue that merging two powerful law enforcement agencies could result in a bloated, overpowered entity with fewer checks and even fewer distinctions between roles.
Jared Yanis Warns This Could Backfire on Gun Owners
Gun rights advocate Jared Yanis of Guns & Gadgets wasn’t buying the polished justification. In his video coverage, Yanis said flat out, “This is dangerous.” He warned that consolidating the ATF under the DEA could make the resulting agency even more powerful, with more SWAT units, deeper funding, and broader authority.
Yanis, a former law enforcement officer himself, said this move wasn’t about downsizing – it was about centralizing. “Don’t be fooled,” he told viewers. “Pam Bondi may say agents won’t knock on your door in the middle of the night, but what’s stopping the next administration from turning it all back on again?”
A Testy Exchange with DeLauro Goes Viral
The hearing quickly spiraled into viral territory when Bondi and DeLauro clashed on live television. When Bondi tried to defend her proposal with a lengthy explanation, DeLauro snapped, “Answer yes or no. Tell me what the numbers are. I don’t want to hear your filibuster.”
DeLauro then read directly from the DOJ’s own budget, citing plans to cut 541 investigators, reducing ATF’s regulatory capacity by 40%. “This is not how we support state and local law enforcement,” she charged. “It’s a bad proposal.”
Braden Langley of Langley Outdoors Academy captured the clip, calling it “a catfight worth watching.” In his video commentary, Langley noted that Bondi’s response – “ATF agents will not be knocking on the doors of gun owners” – was essentially an admission that such things had happened under the previous administration.
Bondi’s Past Anti-Gun Record Resurfaces
Jared Yanis also reminded viewers that this wasn’t Bondi’s first time making Second Amendment advocates uncomfortable. “Let’s not forget,” he said, “Bondi supported gun restrictions in Florida after Parkland.”
As Florida Attorney General, Bondi backed raising the age for firearm purchases to 21 and helped implement red flag laws that allowed judges to confiscate guns from individuals deemed a threat. She has not publicly walked back those positions, and when asked about them in the hearing, she didn’t directly answer.
Yanis added, “You can’t have it both ways. If you’re running the DOJ under Trump, we expect a clean break from Biden’s playbook – and from your own old anti-gun record.”
Langley: “This Merger Isn’t What It Seems”
Langley urged his viewers to stay skeptical, saying that the ATF-DEA merger probably won’t play out as a full legal fusion but rather as a “strategic collaboration.” In his words, “They’re calling it a merger, but I’ve seen the documents. It’s going to look more like cross-tasking agents from one agency to another.”
Still, he warned this kind of cross-agency authority sharing can quickly spiral into dangerous territory for gun rights. “We’ve already seen what happens when ATF is turned loose on FFLs under zero tolerance. Now imagine if they’re operating under DEA’s drug war mindset.”
“No Knock” Reassurance Met With Skepticism
Bondi made it a point to say that under her leadership, “ATF agents will not be knocking on the doors of legal gun owners in the middle of the night.” While that statement was meant to ease concerns, many found it hollow.
Jared Yanis responded bluntly: “That’s a promise she can’t keep. She might be in charge now, but what about the next attorney general? These powers, once expanded, don’t get walked back. That’s what’s scary.”
Even Langley noted the irony. “By saying ‘they won’t be knocking now,’ Bondi’s admitting that, yes, that was actually happening – and that should freak people out.”
Weaponization or Reform? It Depends Who You Ask
Pam Bondi repeatedly told Congress that the reorganization is about de-weaponizing federal agencies. She said, “No longer will parents be arrested at school board meetings. No longer will the FBI target Catholics at church. That’s done.”
She even highlighted the DOJ’s inclusion of a Firearm Rights Restoration Initiative in the FY2026 budget, aimed at helping people wrongfully stripped of gun rights under previous administrations. But as Jared Yanis put it, “That’s great. But not if you’re still letting Biden-era persecution cases roll forward.”
Fewer Inspections, But Is That a Bad Thing?
Part of the uproar came from the fact that the merger would significantly reduce ATF’s ability to perform regulatory inspections. DeLauro and others argued that cutting inspections could let rogue gun dealers slip through the cracks.
But others, like Langley, argued that fewer inspections might not be bad, especially after years of what he called “harassment” of FFLs under the Biden-era zero tolerance policy. “Inspections became raids. Innocent mistakes became reasons to shut down mom-and-pop gun shops. That’s not oversight, that’s punishment.”
Is Bondi Just the Messenger?
Bondi insists she’s trying to fix what was broken. “The Trump administration’s DOJ is prioritizing street-level enforcement, not overregulation,” she said. But critics like Yanis ask why she didn’t start with a full-scale rollback of ATF’s authority, or at least delay the merger until there’s more transparency.
“She’s following through on a Trump DOJ plan,” Yanis admitted. “But she’s not correcting the course. And that’s a problem.”
Bondi’s Balancing Act Is Risky
Bondi may be walking a political tightrope, trying to satisfy both Trump’s law-and-order base and the gun rights crowd. That’s not easy when those two agendas often clash. On one hand, she wants to crack down on gun crimes. On the other, she’s facing a community that’s been targeted by the very agencies she’s reorganizing.
If she wants to regain trust, she’ll need to be clearer about her Second Amendment values – and back that up with action, not just promises.
A Merger That Deserves Scrutiny
The ATF-DEA merger isn’t a bad idea on its face, but it’s full of unknowns. Will it empower the ATF or tame it? Will it protect gun owners or expand enforcement? Pam Bondi says it’ll make America safer. Gun rights leaders say it might make things worse.
In the end, the best safeguard isn’t a promise from a government official – it’s a law that limits their reach. Until then, gun owners will continue watching every move closely, especially when someone with a shaky 2A history is in charge of the nation’s most powerful law enforcement agencies.
For additional info, watch the Forbes Breaking News video here, the Guns & Gadgets 2nd Amendment News video here, and the Langley Outdoors Academy video here.
A former park ranger and wildlife conservationist, Lisa’s passion for survival started with her deep connection to nature. Raised on a small farm in northern Wisconsin, she learned how to grow her own food, raise livestock, and live off the land. Lisa is our dedicated Second Amendment news writer and also focuses on homesteading, natural remedies, and survival strategies. Lisa aims to help others live more sustainably and prepare for the unexpected.