The Senate voted 48-46 to confirm Steve Dettelbach as the new head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Dettelbach will serve as the first official head of the ATF since 2015. This is being marked down as a win for the Biden Administration following failures in getting other nominees, including David Chipman, through the process.
Republicans Susan Collins (Maine) and Rob Portman (Ohio) voted to advance the nominee. As was reported in The Hill:
Earlier on Tuesday, the Senate bypassed a filibuster of the nominee, despite the absences of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), both of whom tested positive for COVID-19.
“I thank the Senate for their support,” Biden said in a statement following the confirmation. “And it is my hope that we can continue working together to keep Americans safe — especially our children — from mass shootings like those in Uvalde, Buffalo, and Highland Park, as well as the daily acts of gun violence that don’t make national headlines.”
Dettelbach is a former U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio who later co-led white-collar investigations at the law firm BakerHostetler. Biden nominated him in April after his first nominee to lead the ATF, David Chipman, did not receive enough support in the Senate and faced fierce opposition from gun rights groups.
Biden withdrew Chipman’s nomination in September because centrist Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jon Tester (D-Mont.) held back their support. Chipman had previously advised the gun violence prevention group Giffords, which was founded by gun violence survivor and former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.). The White House was criticized for not doing enough to advance his nomination.
The confirmation of Steve Dettelbach follows the passage of significant gun control legislation from the Biden administration; Republicans also supported that legislation.
