{"id":2414975,"date":"2025-03-25T10:05:02","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:05:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patel-denies-report-claiming-mass-workforce-cuts-coming-to-atf\/"},"modified":"2025-03-25T10:07:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T14:07:26","slug":"patel-denies-report-claiming-mass-workforce-cuts-coming-to-atf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/patel-denies-report-claiming-mass-workforce-cuts-coming-to-atf\/","title":{"rendered":"Patel denies report claiming mass workforce cuts coming to ATF"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpatel-denies-report-claiming-mass-workforce-cuts-coming-to-atf%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2414975&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>FBI Director Kash Patel has refuted claims in a CNN report suggesting that he plans to substantially reduce the workforce of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) by transferring up to 1,000 agents to the FBI. Patel labeled the allegation as \u201cfake news\u201d in an internal memo to ATF staff, emphasizing that the reported plan to cut one-third of ATF agents and reallocate them is entirely false. He expressed concern over the media&#8217;s influence on operational decisions, asserting that the ATF will maintain control without interference from news organizations. The rumors of workforce cuts emerge amid ongoing Republican initiatives aimed at reforming the ATF, with critiques that the agency duplicates efforts of other federal bodies. The backdrop of this controversy aligns with broader administrative efforts to streamline government operations and reduce bureaucracy.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Patel denies <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legacy-media-largely-ignore-damning-report-about-ny-nursing-home-deaths\/\" title=\"Legacy Media Largely Ignore Damning ... About NY Nursing Home Deaths\">report claiming<\/a> mass workforce cuts coming to ATF<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2031797\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>FBI Director <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/kash-patel\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Kash Patel<\/a> denied a report claiming he wanted to overhaul the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/atf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>On Saturday, a CNN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/22\/politics\/atf-agents-fbi\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">report<\/a> citing three anonymous sources alleged Patel, who is acting director of ATF, had outlined plans to transfer up to 1,000 ATF agents to the FBI, &ldquo;cutting ATF&rsquo;s agents by more than a third.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3357208\/democratic-fundraising-keeps-pace-with-gop\/\">Democratic fundraising keeps pace with GOP, despite internal divisions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3357070\/trump-administration-khalil-association-unrwa-green-card-application\/\">Trump administration accuses Khalil of hiding association with UNRWA in green card application<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3356603\/trump-fuels-jfk-conspiracy-theories-after-unspectacular-file-release\/\">Trump fuels JFK conspiracy theories after &#8216;somewhat unspectacular&#8217; file release<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>However, Patel denounced the story as &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; in an internal memo to ATF staff, according to<a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/media\/fbi-director-kash-patel-sends-memo-calling-cnn-report-atf-cuts-entirely-false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> Fox News Digital<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I want to address a report from this weekend speculating about the intentions of FBI leadership with personnel decisions at the ATF,&rdquo; Patel wrote. &ldquo;This weekend, CNN reported news of a plan on the part of our leadership to &lsquo;cut as many as one third&rsquo; of ATF agents and reallocate 1,000 agents over to the FBI. The report even suggested our <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">leadership team altered<\/a> course after reading a news report, and ultimately backed off certain aspects of changes. This &lsquo;report&rsquo; is entirely false.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Patel&rsquo;s comment referenced a line from the outlet&rsquo;s report stating that &ldquo;After publication of this story and resulting pushback including from Republican allies, FBI officials began to back off aspects of their plan, according to a US official familiar with the matter.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The FBI director&rsquo;s statement continued to express outrage against the media outlet for spreading what he called a &ldquo;disinformation campaign.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kash Patel arrives for a meeting with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Dec. 11, 2024, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>&ldquo;The fake news will NEVER be responsible for operational command authority over the ATF, we are,&rdquo; he wrote in the memo. &ldquo;The brave men and women of the ATF who courageously dedicate themselves to protecting the American public will not have their security jeopardized by the media&rsquo;s disinformation campaigns. When we make decisions, they will be final, regardless of the input of CNN or any other news organization.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The FBI declined a request for comment from the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. The ATF did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p>There have been Republican-led efforts, most recently by Reps. Eric Burlison (R-MO) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO), to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/washington-secrets\/3279268\/atf-under-fire-reform-shut-down\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">overhaul ATF<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>ATF is &ldquo;just duplicative,&rdquo; Burlison told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>in January. &ldquo;They overlap a lot of our other agencies, the FBI. That&rsquo;s really under their scope. You have the U.S. Marshals Service. There&rsquo;s a lot of agencies that provide the same level of service.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of things that are being done by the ATF that are not about keeping people safe. It&rsquo;s just about making everyone who wants to own a firearm make our lives miserable,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3345218\/department-of-education-layoffs-preview-of-bigger-things-to-come\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LAYOFFS COULD BE A PREVIEW OF BIGGER THINGS TO COME<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The latest rumors of deep workforce cuts at ATF come as the Trump administration has focused on slashing the bureaucracy to cut fraud, waste, and abuse.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Agency heads across Washington, D.C., have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/agencies-on-deadline-for-large-scale-reductions-in-force-plans-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Agencies on deadline for \u2018large...scale reductions in force\u2019 ... ... Washington Examiner\">cut large numbers<\/a> at their departments, including over 1,300 workers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3345218\/department-of-education-layoffs-preview-of-bigger-things-to-come\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">cut from the Department of Education <\/a>earlier this month, as the Trump administration seeks to eliminate the bureaucracy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2031797\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2031797\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Patel refutes claims of major ATF workforce reductions<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2414976,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Kash-Patel-fbi-ssu7.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[50902,4133,51054,52069,52068],"class_list":["post-2414975","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-atf-2","tag-news","tag-patel-2","tag-report-denial","tag-workforce-cuts"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Kash-Patel-fbi-ssu7.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414975","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2414975"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414975\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2414979,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2414975\/revisions\/2414979"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2414976"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2414975"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2414975"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2414975"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}