Senate Hands Biden Another Win

Biden Gets A Surprising Win In The Senate

(IntegrityMag.com) – President Joe Biden has encountered several difficulties in terms of executive appointments since his tenure began. One of his biggest failures in this regard was David Chipman, his initial pick to head up the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Biden had to withdraw Chipman’s nomination last September due to controversy around the candidate. Luckily for the president, his second selection for the office hasn’t met the same fate.

On Tuesday, July 12, the Senate voted to confirm Steve Dettelbach as the ATF director. The former US Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio secured the position with the support of two GOP Senators, Susan Collins (ME) and Rob Portman (OH). Democrats who voted were unanimous in their support, putting Dettelbach through 48-46.

U.S. Senate confirms Biden's pick to head firearms bureau https://t.co/V45srqb2nE pic.twitter.com/PF1n3ZAEJc

— Reuters (@Reuters) July 12, 2022

While the next head of the agency has committed to doing the job in a nonpartisan fashion, Republican lawmakers and Second Amendment advocates have expressed concerns about his positions concerning gun laws. Though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) expressed some doubts about how much Dettelbach will be able to achieve in relation to curbing gun violence, the New York Democrat was broadly optimistic about the confirmation.

Steve Dettelbach will become just the second permanent ATF director since the position began requiring Senate confirmation in 2006.