The Trump administration is working on an initiative that would remove some of the longstanding authority from the Department of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives. This is mostly common sense since the ATF has all but abandoned its efforts to curtail the activities of those who smuggle tobacco and alcohol.
The ATF was formed out of the Prohibition era during which time alcohol was a strictly controlled substance. Today’s ATF has largely become top heavy, receiving far more funds and resources that it actually needs to do what it actually does.
This resolution would remedy a bureaucratic fissure that has plagued the executive branch for some time wherein the Treasury collects taxes on alcohol and tobacco, but the ATF is still in charge of chasing down those who evade those taxes. This is just one example of the many governmental inefficiencies that Trump is taking aim at. Inefficiencies like these waste time, resources, and untold amounts of taxpayer funds.
Trump’s upcoming budget proposal contains a draft of the plan to rearrange these federal powers, two senior White House officials told the New York Times. The Congress will be called upon to draft a bill that would set the plan into law.
The officials who briefed the media about the plan only did so on the contingency of anonymity as they did not have the authority to discuss the current draft version. Despite the fact that budget plans are constantly changing, the ATF’s charter has remained the same for a very long time.
Spokespersons for the ATF and the Treasury have not been available for comment on this story.
It is interesting to note that the odd division of labor between the Treasury and the ATF concerning tobacco and alcohol enforcement did not start until soon after the attacks of September 11, 2001. It was in the aftermath of that tragic event that Congress removed the ATF from the purview of the Treasury and relocated them squarely within the Department of Justice.
At the time, it seemed like a sensible move. The ATF, after all, is focused on criminal activity concerning a range of controlled substances and devices. Their mission seemed like a good fit for the DOJ. So the Congress directed the Treasury to retain its jurisdiction over the regulation of tobacco and alcohol. This left the question of who would handle smuggling investigations unanswered, as the Treasury no longer had any agents with any law enforcement authority.
Bradley A. Buckles served as the director of the ATF under the two presidents preceding Barack Obama. He told NYT reporters, “There was some considerable debate about leaving the alcohol and tobacco criminal enforcement powers within the Treasury at that time, but there was no one who had the authority to investigate smuggling. The Treasury didn’t have any interest in creating a new criminal investigative team. They were happy to let it all go.”
One of the chief concerns driving the proposal is the problem of the illegal movement of cigarettes. This is a topic that becomes more and more interesting to the federal government with each new tobacco tax increase. With cigarettes priced at $3 per carton in Virginia and $43 per carton in New York- the call to smugglers was clear and it has become a fully-fledged underground industry in the central east coast region.
Smugglers employ complex schemes to move cigarettes between these two states, and they have made enough money doing so to make the risks worthwhile. Because of this lopsided market, and enormous taxes, it has come to pass that more than 50% of the cigarettes sold in New York have passed through illegal channels.
The ATF once prioritized tobacco enforcement, but the results were poor at best- not unlike the rest of the drug war which has cost the American public billions with a negligible effect on drug abuse statistics. They have since turned their attention toward violent crime.
President Trump has asked the ATF to take the lead on a crackdown on illegal gun trafficking, gun violence, and the criminal gangs that smuggle them in and around the country. He sent a specialized ATF team to Chicago in the summer of 2017 as part of his widespread plan to take down the MS-13 Mexican mafia.
Under Trump’s plan, the Treasury would be given the authority to investigate alcohol and tobacco smuggling. This would leave the ATF in need of a new name. To this end, we have submitted our suggestion, “The F-Team.” We think it works.
~ American Gun News
Better idea would be to leave in the A and T and remove the F and then put them back under Treasury where they belong so they can go back to being the simple tax collectors they were designed to be instead of a bunch of jackbooted thugs running around stomping kittens and harassing law abiding gun dealers.
All their F work could be split up among FBI and US Marshall Service (well except for the “smuggling guns to Mexican cartels, we could just cut that out completely)
BETTER YET, ELIMINATE THE ATF AND LET THEM FOCUS ON EXPLOSIVES THAT TERRORISTS USE. I SEE NOTHING WRONG WITH BUYING A PACK OF CIGARETTES FOR $3 AND RESELLING THEM FOR A HIGHER PRICE. I BUY MY GAS IN MO ALTHOUGH I LIVE IN ILLINOIS. WHY? CHEAPER. I SEE IT NO DIFFERENT THEN BUYING SOMETHING ONLINE AND THEN SHIPPING IT ACROSS STATE LINES. AS AN INDIVIDUAL LIVING IN VA AND SELLING CIGARETTES ONLINE TO NY, IT’S NOT ILLEGAL!
Way to go presaden t Trump
F-Troop would be more appropriate.
Cut the whole agency, make sure you get all the big-wigs with the big salaries.
As President Trump stated your Drivers License and if you are not a Felon…also if you are A U.S. Citizen! Especially where California
is going to let illegal Aliens have Drivers Licenses. The Liberals will do anything to
get a Dumocratic Vote!
if we give up our wepions then crimnals will bethe only ones with guns hell no i am keeping mine that is what the comnusit dem want
AND MUSLIMS!
this should have been done Years ago. put the traffic n of tobacco where it belongs and Firearms/Explosives where the experts can do sum real good to protect OUR Citizens.
Trump is f**k up. He has know idea or brains to know what is really going on in usa.
Instead of just saying it’s not good apparently because you dislike President Trump, take a moment and actually review the proposed changes. It is just common sense and will save us, the taxpayers a lot of money. This is a situation in which the dems should go along with the president and do so while smiling in front of the cameras because at the end of the day they will all look good and they will be able to say that they put aside political differences and did what’s best for the American people. Common sense is what has been lacking for at least the past 8 years. Lets work together as Americans……….Americans for America first. Please.
Agree 100% with you Thomas.
Continue to “Drain the Swamp!!!”
Good for him. it’s about time.
I think they should take the a and the t out of the agency and put it somewhere else.
I think they should take the a and t out of the agency and put them somewhere else.
Good idea, overdue!
Once again President Trump is just using common sense. Why on earth are the democrats trying to block any of this? This would be a perfect time for them to go along with the president and do it while smiling in front of the cameras. By fighting something that just makes a lot of sense, they once again look like spoiled little kids that will do things that are hurtful and/or stupid just to go against the president. God help us, please.
GOOD JOB SIR GO FOR IT
YOU ARE DOING A VERY GOOD JOB SIR.
This step is long overdue, ever since Prohibition was cancelled this Government unit has wasted money that could have been put to good use by other departments in the Federal Government.
The author’s statement about cigarette prices in Virginia is incorrect. Retail prices are $40-55 a carton depending on the brand. Maybe the author is referring to the tax per carton?
ACTUALLY YOU AND YOUR ILK ARE EXPERTS AT BEING THAT, AND DO IT ALL THE TIME: DEPT EDUCATION, CIA, FBI, DHS, IMMIGRATION, BATFE, ISIS, WAR ON TERROR… TRUMP IS JUST UNSCREWING WHAT IT IS THAT YOU AND YOUR ILK HAVE SCREWED UP! THE ECONOMY, ISIS, WAR ON TERROR, AFTA, IMMIGRATION, TAXES…
Better still would be to just close the whole thing down. A&T serve no purpose and “F” is a violation of the Constitution.
They should drop the F from the organization!
Donald, just keep on Trumpin!!!!
I had the ATFE visit my business place for thirty-five years as a Gunsmith and a second license to sell gun powder. .I guess I was lucky as I kept my books in good shape. I do know that the ATFE Agents will lie, cheat and steal to get you in jail. There must be a better way. .
Since the BATFE was one of the largest proven distributors and sellers of illegal firearms during the Obama years and under his orders. One of the firearms known to have been used in the murder a border patrol agent all those in the agency that knew of the operation in advance, including Obama, should be charged with 1st-degree murder. At least in my state, anyone committing a felony that results in death is guilty of murder. After that reorganization sound like a good thing.