Senate confirms Robert Cekada as ATF director, ending 11-year vacancy

The Senate confirmed Robert Cekada as ATF Director in a 59-39 bipartisan vote on April 29, 2026, ending the longest confirmed-director vacancy in the agency's history. Cekada, a career federal agent and former federal firearms prosecutor, became the first ATF director confirmed under a Republican president. Upon confirmation, Cekada signed 34 notices of rule changes aimed at easing regulatory burdens for firearms dealers. Gun control advocates noted that confirmation under Trump made robust enforcement unlikely despite the historic milestone.