The Trump administration is considering major changes in how the Justice Department operates, including by merging the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives into one, according to an internal memo.
The other changes include drastically altering how the department’s public integrity section functions; downsizing the fraud-focused investigations that involve foreign business practices and foreign influence efforts; and closing down the community relations office that works to quell public unrest after police shootings.
The proposal, outlined in a memo issued by the deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, and obtained by The New York Times, has yet to take effect. Officials are still seeking feedback from within the department before proceeding with what current and former Justice Department officials view as a significant reorganization.
A spokesman for the Justice Department did not immediately comment on the memo.
Overall, the Trump administration’s vision for the Justice Department, as outlined in the memo, is to downsize by consolidating some work inside its headquarters, while farming other responsibilities out to the U.S. attorney’s offices. The changes are described as part of the government’s efforts to downsize and streamline the federal work force, with help from the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency.
The proposal to merge the D.E.A. and A.T.F. would almost certainly require congressional approval, though so far in the new administration, Congress appears to be playing a shrinking role in how the federal government is organized.
Typically, lawmakers on the appropriations committees zealously guarded their authority over the organization of agencies like the Justice Department. It is unclear if the current leaders in Congress intend to assert such authority during the Trump administration.
Administrations have long considered restructuring one or both of those two agencies, but no major reorganization has occurred since the post-Sept. 11 era, when the Department of Homeland Security was created and the A.T.F. was moved from the Treasury Department into the Justice Department.
Under the plan, antitrust offices in Chicago and San Francisco would close, as would environmental offices in Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Sacramento. Civil litigation offices in New York, Chicago, Raleigh and San Francisco would also be closed, according to the memo.
The plan also calls for reassigning tax division lawyers to U.S. attorney offices around the country, and consolidating the department’s various legal divisions, including for national security, criminal prosecutions and other matters, into one single office.
In the memo to Justice Department employees, Mr. Blanche asked for feedback on the plans by April 2.
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