Whatever intern runs the White House Twitter account clearly thought they had a winning message on their hands when they decided to tweet out a claim that Republicans want to reduce the staff of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms by 70 agents. In many instances, appealing to questions of 'law and order' is a decent tactic to get people riled up and concerned for their safety, after all.
But come on ... it's the ATF.
Extreme House Republicans want to take 70 ATF agents off the beat as a condition of keeping the government open.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 24, 2023
It's not that the ATF is itself bad, exactly. There are many fine agents who assist in border protection and dealing with Mexican drug cartels, but the Bureau also has a... complicated history of being used as a blunt-force cudgel by the federal government to deal with people and groups that don't conform in one way or another. To consider them a universally beloved agency would be a stretch, to say the least.
People let their thoughts be known in the replies.
The ATF shouldn't exist at all. lmaooo What a trash organization.
— Whatevs (@j035ich5pach) September 24, 2023
What do we need ATF for with the new White House Unconstitutional Gun Grabber Office?
— RedInDC 💐 (@RealRedInDC) September 24, 2023
That’s not enough.
— Andrew Young - TANSTAAFL Curmudgeon (@NucMM1retired) September 24, 2023
— Honda Accord E𝕏 (@Accordhonda2016) September 25, 2023
The ATF should have been disbanded after the Ruby Ridge Catastrophe
— VIP Dive Target. (@artemasyeah) September 24, 2023
It's a shame on Americans everywhere that the ATF still operates
It's also always entertaining when Democrats try to use funding priorities as a political weapon, given their history and current beliefs when it comes to money allocation.
Regular House Democrats want to add $6 trillion more dollars to the national debt on coloring books and make up for their constituents.
— PhotographicFloridian (@JackLinFLL) September 24, 2023
Not to mention that when put into perspective... 70 agents really is a drop in the bucket for any bloated governmental bureaucracy.
Barely a dent. pic.twitter.com/W63AXEo7Km
— Don't Ask Me, I Just Live Here (@Veronica31378) September 24, 2023
That's right: That's 70 agents out of a total of 2,586 current agents and 5,099 total current employees.
The Biden Administration's messaging around the current budget stalemate in Washington continues to be confused at best, and will doubtless become more so as the deadline for a budget or a Continuing Resolution approaches. Hopefully, they've given the White House Twitter Intern some better talking points, 'cause this ain't it.
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