important step to protect communities from gun violence, moving forward with the nomination of steve dettelbach to be director of the bureau of alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and explosives. in a few moments, i will move to discharge mr. dettelbach's nomination from the judiciary committee. after that, i'm going to make sure his nomination moves through this chamber rapidly. the bipartisan gun safety legislation currently being negotiated is crucially important, but so is having a fully staffed a.t.f. my colleagues, listen to this, we haven't had a director of a.t.f. since 2015. gun violence is ripping through the nation, killing so many, and we still don't have a director of a.t.f. that is just outrageous at a time when we need one more than ever. at a time when americans are sick and tired of our country's gun violence pandemic, we should be sprinting, sprinting to confirm someone whose job would be precisely to keep americans safe from gun violence, and that's exactly what the a.t.f. director, the new a.t.f. director, will do. the a.t.f. may not always capture the spotlight, but it is vital in

enforcement, mayors across america, and former federal prosecutors all agree it's time that this man, steve dettelbach, become the director of a.t.f. more than 140 former justice department officials including multiple trump administration appointees have stepped forward to voice their support for mr. dettelbach's nomination. the judiciary committee has also received letters of support from multiple former directors and acting directors of the a.t.f. it's no surprise as a career prosecutor, mr. dettelbach has devoted decades of his life to working alongside law enforcement, including a.t.f. agents, to combat gang violence, gun crimes, and hate crimes. in every role he's held, mr. dettelbach has been squarely focused on protecting the lives of law enforcement officers and the families that they serve. in his own words, quote, politics can play no role in law enforcement. he's earned the trust of an amazing list of law enforcement organizations. listen to the groups that support him taking on this job. the national sheriffs association, the international association of chiefs of police, the major county