ATF Funding for 2026 Appropriations Bill Looks Familiar — And Gun Owners Are Not Happy

                While earlier drafts of the 2026 federal spending bill for firearm regulators included deep budget cuts and strict policy riders, the latest version of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies appropriations bill (H.R. 6938) represents a return to the status quo for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

On January 8, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 6938 by an overwhelming 397-28 vote—despite strong objections from Second Amendment advocates who had hoped the Republican-controlled chamber would deliver significant oversight and policy reforms. The appropriations package now moves to the U.S. Senate, where Susan Collins chairs the powerful Appropriations Committee and is widely expected to push forward a version similar to the House’s.

Both the House and Senate versions allocate roughly $1.585 billion to the ATF for fiscal year 2026—only slightly less than the agency’s $1.618 billion budget enacted for 2025. That funding level stands in stark contrast to the $1.2 billion figure House Republicans initially proposed in mid-2025, which would have forced dramatic staffing cuts and effectively shuttered many of the ATF’s most controversial enforcement initiatives.

The earlier proposal, developed with input from the Trump administration, aimed to tie funding to reforms that would have restrained ATF’s ability to pursue regulatory enforcement campaigns related to:

• Stabilizing braces and similar firearm accessories

• “80 percent” unfinished frames and receivers

• Broad, subjective guidance such as the past Biden-era “Engaged in the Business” rule on gun dealers

• Federal encouragement of state “red flag” and other gun control laws

Those policy riders disappeared from the final House appropriations bill during negotiations, disappointing gun-rights proponents who hoped to curb what they view as regulatory overreach.

“As a member of the CJS Appropriations Subcommittee, I fought to include pro-2A cuts and policy riders in the FY26 CJS appropriations bill,” said Andrew Clyde of Georgia, a staunch Second Amendment defender. “Yet these critical Second Amendment protections were surrendered during negotiations.” While Clyde and like-minded lawmakers pushed for tighter oversight, their efforts were largely sidelined as leadership moved toward a bipartisan budget compromise.

Pro-gun organizations such as Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights are urging citizens and industry supporters to contact their lawmakers about the bill before it is finalized. “When put in position to cut the ATF budget and roll back Biden-era gun grabs, Speaker Johnson and Congress folded quicker than Nicolás Maduro’s bodyguards,” NAGR said in a fiery statement. They specifically criticized Senator Collins, labeling her as an architect of a plan to extend expanded ATF funding that could empower gun-grabbing enforcement rather than rein it in.

The appropriations package is expected to move through the Senate and be approved by Congress before the end of the month. If so, the ATF will receive near–historical funding levels for 2026, with few meaningful restrictions on how that money is spent.

For Second Amendment supporters, the outcome underlines a continuing political reality: budget fights are just as important as legal battles and elections in shaping how gun rights are protected—or eroded—in Washington. At 2 If By Sea Tactical, we believe in defending the Second Amendment not just in courtrooms and legislatures, but every day in how law-abiding Americans choose to exercise and enjoy their rights.

Shop with us to invest in quality firearms, accessories, and training that empower you and your community. When rights are exercised responsibly and widely, policymakers are reminded that the Constitution protects more than abstract ideas — it protects real choices, real people, and real freedoms.

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