News India Times

www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know U.S. Affairs News India Times (April 12, 2025 - April 18, 2025) April 18, 2025 7 Kash Patel Removed As ATF Director, Replaced With Army Secretary T he Trump administration removed FBI Director Kash Patel as the interim head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, replac- ing him with Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll, according to two sources familiar with the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter. Driscoll will simultaneously hold both the top roles at ATF and the Army. It’s an unusual set-up that Patel also had, serving as both FBI director and acting ATF director. The people familiar with the adjustments said they were not informed about why the Trump administration made the change. A spokesman for the Justice Department – which over- sees the ATF – did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The relatively small law enforcement entity of 5,000 people has bubbled into a political juggernaut, touted by Democrats as critical to combating gun violence and accused by Republicans of trying to overregulate fire- arms. ATF works with local law enforcement to solve gun crimes and is responsible for regulating the sales and licensing of firearms based on laws passed by Congress. Since being tapped as the interim ATF director in late February, Patel has been a largely absent leader and only showed up to the agency’s headquarters once, TheWash- ington Post reported last month. President Donald Trump has not yet nominated a permanent person for the role and has not indicated whether he will. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche last month proposed merging the ATF with the Drug Enforcement Administration, according to a memo to Justice Department leaders obtained by TheWashington Post. Critics of the idea fear that it would lead to a reduc- tion in ATF staffing. Patel also said last month that he would pull 150 ATF agents from their typical duties and deploy them to work on border-related duties. As Army secretary, Driscoll shapes policies for the mili- tary’s largest service, with more than 400,000 active-duty soldiers, including personnel and recruitment. The Senate confirmed Driscoll as army secretary in February. An IraqWar veteran, Driscoll has promised to push the Army onto the cutting edge of 21st century warfare. -TheWashington Post By Perry Stein, Missy Ryan PHOTO:Demetrius Freeman/TheWashington Post FBI Director Kash Patel during a House Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 26. Congressional Dads Caucus Slams Tariffs For Impact On Working Families V irginia’s Indian American Demo- cratic Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, and Representa- tives Jimmy Gomez (CA-34), Brad Schneider (IL-10), Steven Horsford (NV- 04), Shomari C. Figures (AL-07), and Derek Tran (CA-45) held a press conference April 8 on Capitol Hill warning how President Trump’s tariffs would raise prices on work- ing families across the country, especially working parents. They urged Republicans to join them to revoke the tariffs. From groceries, clothes, and shoes to cars and construction materials would become difficult to purchase, the Dad’s Caucus predicted. “President Trump’s tariffs will continue to devastate small local businesses and raise prices on families that are already reeling from the high costs of groceries, household goods, and prescription drugs,” Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA- 10), is quoted saying in a press release from his office. “These tariffs will be a self-imposed recession and a blow to the budgets of American families everywhere. I ask my Republican colleagues to stand with working families and reject the President’s actions.” “Families are waking up with less money in their retirement savings, higher prices at the grocery store, and less confidence in the economy because of Trump. And Congressional Republicans are supporting his catastrophic economic agenda,” Dads Caucus Chair Rep. Gomez. He called on Republicans to join in to revoke the tariffs. “For families, Trump’s trade war and tariff tax are a five-alarm fire. Parents are already facing huge costs as they raise their kids with the crazy price of childcare and expensive groceries,” said Congress- man Schneider. “Instead of looking seri- ously at solutions that can help hardwork- ing families not just get by but get ahead, Trump is hitting them with a massive tax. Our Republican colleagues here in the House could put a stop to this today.” Rep. Horsford echoed Schneider’s views, adding, “In Las Vegas, we’re already grappling with high prices and a housing crisis. We desperately need more houses, but tariffs on steel and aluminum – both of which come fromMexico and Canada – are working against us.” Rep. Tran called the tariffs “a sledge hammer” as a method of dealing with issues, including education, health care, and now tariffs. He described the tariffs as “reckless” and cautioned, “Americans will face higher prices, fewer jobs, and a world that is less safe. The Congressional Dads Caucus was founded after the 118th Congress Speaker vote to provide a forum for members of Congress to push legislation that supports working families. By a StaffWriter PHOTOS:subramanyam.house.gov Congressman Suhas Subramanyam at podium during the April 8, 2025, press conference of the Congressional Dads Caucus. Leaders of the Congressional Dads Caucus, including Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, center, use props to demonstrate the effects of tariffs on working families