U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday faced intense questioning during her first congressional testimony since confirmation hearings as lawmakers challenged the Department of Justice‘s (DOJ) proposed $33.6 billion budget for fiscal year 2026.
The most heated exchanges occurred between Bondi and Democratic representatives, particularly House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, of Connecticut’s 3rd District, along with contentious moments involving Representatives Madeleine Dean from Pennsylvania’s 4th District and Glenn Ivey of Maryland’s 4th District.
The proposed budget represents a $2.5 billion decrease from current funding levels and would eliminate approximately 5,000 positions across the DOJ.
Newsweek reached out to the Justice Department via email on Monday for comment.
Why It Matters
The budget proposal comes at a critical juncture, as the U.S. confronts intensifying conflict with Iran following President Donald Trump‘s decision to bomb Iranian nuclear sites.
The timing has transformed what might have been a routine budget hearing into a debate over national security priorities, with lawmakers arguing that cuts to counterterrorism, counterintelligence and threat screening programs could leave the nation vulnerable.
The approximately 7 percent budget reduction would significantly impact the DOJ’s handling of both domestic law enforcement priorities and emerging international threats, including potential Iranian sleeper cells and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.
What To Know
The confrontation began when DeLauro accused Bondi of trying to “whittle away” the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) through the proposed merger and budget cuts.
Specific cuts include a 26 percent reduction to ATF, a 4.4 percent cut to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and a 34 percent slashing to the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas Program. The budget would also decrease funding for national security, counterintelligence, counterterrorism, threat screening and efforts to counter weapons of mass destruction. No funding is dedicated to the drug enforcement task force for organized crime.
The ATF restructuring would eliminate 541 industry operation investigators, reducing the agency’s capacity to regulate firearms and explosive industries by approximately 40 percent and resulting in fewer regulatory inspections. The agency anticipates losing approximately 284 support personnel and 186 agents through attrition.
The proposed ATF-DEA merger requires congressional approval and was introduced through a memo by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche proposing broad changes at the DOJ. DeLauro accused the Trump administration of interfering with federal law enforcement’s attempts to tackle illegal gun and drug trafficking, including fentanyl.
Bondi also said that the FBI is monitoring potential Iranian sleeper cells in the U.S., including Iranian citizens who entered via the Mexican border during the Biden administration, as tensions escalate following Iran’s counterattack on a U.S. base in Qatar.
The Heated Exchange
The most dramatic moment came when DeLauro directly challenged Bondi’s proposed ATF cuts, leading to a series of interruptions and sharp exchanges. Bondi repeatedly emphasized that “ATF agents will not be knocking on the doors of legal gun owners in the middle of the night asking them about their guns”—a talking point she returned to multiple times throughout the confrontation.
The intensity of the hearing ramped up when Bondi said, “As I was attempting to answer your question very calmly, unlike you,” before being loudly interrupted again by DeLauro.
DeLauro fired back: “Excuse me, Madam Attorney General, answer yes or no. Tell me what the numbers are now. I don’t want to hear all of your filibuster about this.”
When Bondi continued her explanation about reorganizing ATF agents, DeLauro declared, “I don’t have to listen, nor do my colleagues have to listen to a filibuster when it’s a simple question,” and proceeded to read the budget numbers herself from the department’s own documents.
Even when DeLauro cited the regulatory functions being cut, Bondi responded: “You mentioned regulatory functions. We will not be having ATF agents go to the doors of gun owners in the middle of the night, asking them about their guns. Period. They will be out on the streets with DEA.”
BONDI: I was attempting to answer your question. Very calmly. Unlike you.DeLAURO: Excuse me? Excuse me? Answer yes or no. I don’t want to hear all of your filibuster. pic.twitter.com/RljMbWuoyO
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 23, 2025
What People Are Saying
All comments were delivered on Monday:
DeLauro: “How can you justify such a massive cut without inevitably weakening ATF’s ability to help our state and local law enforcement fight illegal gun trafficking?”
Ivey: “Taking FBI agents off the street now … there isn’t a worse possible time you could do it.”
Republican Representative Tony Gonzales of Texas: “When the DOJ submitted their budget, the United States was a nation at peace, and now we’re a nation at war. I want us to, as much as we can, get ahead of it to give you the resources, the instruments that you need to go out and make sure that we’re preventing things from happening, not waiting until after the fact.”
Bondi: “Of course, you can always do more with more, but we’re doing more with less. It’s a frightening time in which we live right now but President Trump is committed to keeping all Americans safe.”
Dean: “The same day Trump announced his chaotic tariff regime that plummeted the stock market, you sold more than $1 million worth of your shares in Trump Media? It fell 13 percent in the following days. It seems you avoided that loss. Well done.”
What Happens Next
The proposed ATF-DEA merger requires congressional approval and represents part of broader DOJ organizational changes outlined by Blanche.
Lawmakers will need to balance budget constraints against emerging security threats as they review the fiscal year 2026 appropriations.
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