Steven Dettelbach, director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), said his agency trusts local law enforcement to help it conduct firearms traces legally.
“We support police and trust police departments to submit traces when they relate to criminal investigations,” he said.
Dettelbach testified before the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies during a budget hearing on April 18, 2023.
Biden’s budget proposal contains $1.9 billion for the ATF. This represents a 13.6 percent increase over fiscal 2022 and half a billion more than the agency’s fiscal 2020 budget. Included are funds to expand the agency personnel from 5,463 to 5,965, which would include 183 new agents….