Trump’s ATF Director Pick Cruises Through Senate Hearing With Rare Bipartisan Support

President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives appears headed for confirmation after a surprisingly smooth Senate hearing this week.

Robert Cekada, the current deputy director of the ATF, testified before the Senate on Wednesday and faced relatively light scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. In a rarity for an ATF nominee, Cekada even drew praise from prominent Democrats. “Mr. Cekada, I’m actually really grateful you’re here and really relieved by your nomination,” said Cory Booker (D-N.J.). “Your years of dedicated service is something I have a lot of respect for.” That reception signals Cekada is likely to become just the third Senate-confirmed ATF Director in the agency’s history—and President Trump’s first.

The hearing marked a sharp departure from prior nomination fights. During Trump’s first term, his ATF nominee was ultimately sunk by Republicans concerned about anti-gun positions. Under President Biden, Democrats torpedoed his first ATF pick over ties to gun-control activism. By contrast, Cekada has drawn support from both law enforcement organizations and segments of the firearms industry, while facing little organized opposition from gun-rights groups. None of the senators who questioned him indicated they planned to vote against confirmation.

The toughest questioning came from Democrats concerned about reports that ATF agents have been assisting immigration enforcement efforts. Cekada pushed back, emphasizing that ATF involvement has been limited and focused on violent offenders. “ATF has never had more than 75 to 100 agents a day working on supporting ICE and HSI,” Cekada said. “And that work has focused on offenders who were illegally armed.” Democrats also expressed concern over the Trump administration’s past efforts to reduce or restructure ATF, including proposals to defund or merge the agency.

Cekada responded by affirming the agency’s role, stating he does not support eliminating ATF and noting the bureau currently employs about 2,400 agents, with plans to hire roughly 800 more. Republican senators focused their questioning on how Cekada would balance enforcement with constitutional protections. He was pressed on whether the ATF would roll back controversial Biden-era policies, including the pistol brace rule and the expanded “engaged in the business” definition for gun sellers.

While Cekada stopped short of committing to immediate reversals, he confirmed those rules are under review and emphasized that violent crime—not paperwork violations—would remain the agency’s priority. “I can assure you with absolute certainty that ATF has been focused on holding violent criminals accountable,” Cekada said. “We are not here to unnecessarily burden the American citizen who has the complete right to exercise their Second Amendment rights.”

Cekada’s testimony comes as Congress debates ATF funding levels—a topic we previously covered in our  breakdown of the ATF budget fight, where pro-2A lawmakers warned that bloated funding without oversight could enable continued regulatory abuse. Whether Cekada follows through on his assurances will matter greatly to gun owners, especially as courts continue forcing agencies to reckon with Bruen and its limits on executive overreach.

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