The confirmation of President Donald Trump's U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) has been held up because of GOP concerns he favors some gun control measures, The Wall Street Journal reported.
National Fraternal Order of Police President Chuck Canterbury does not have enough Republican support for confirmation, so the Senate Judiciary Committee indefinitely has postponed his vote to advance to the Senate, sources told the Journal.
"The president has confidence in Chuck, and we look forward to continued conversations with members on the Judiciary Committee to discuss important issues," a White House official told the Journal on Thursday.
The ATF has struggled with resource problems and has not had a permanent director in five years, having just two in the bureau's history, according to the report.
As the head of the FOP, Canterbury supported gun control measures, including expanded background checks, and Republican senators pressed him on those positions in his confirmation hearing this summer.
"I believe it's my responsibility to enforce the laws that are passed by Congress, and I'd make sure every agent working for me would understand that," Canterbury said during the hearing, per the report.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., considered Canterbury "not qualified."
"If you're not familiar with the process running ATF . . . then you're not qualified," Kennedy said.
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