Homeland Security Act Moves ATF to DOJ and Requires Senate-Confirmed Director

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 took effect January 24, 2003, transferring the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from the Treasury Department to the Department of Justice. Simultaneously, the reauthorization of the Patriot Act in 2006 established that the ATF Director must be Senate-confirmed — the first time in the agency's history that its leader required Senate approval. This new confirmation requirement gave the NRA and its Senate allies a veto point over ATF leadership that would produce an 11-year vacancy in confirmed directors.