	Introduction and FY2016 Appropriations

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the lead federal law enforcement agency charged with administering and enforcing federal laws related to firearms and explosives commerce. ATF is also responsible for investigating arson cases with a federal nexus, and criminal cases involving the diversion of alcohol and tobacco from legal channels of commerce. Congress funds the ATF through an annual appropriation in the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, because it is a component of the Department of Justice (DOJ). As Ta b le 1 shows, for FY2016, Congress appropriated $1.24 billion for ATF in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 ( P.L. 114-113 ). This amount represents a 3.4% increase over the agency's FY2015 appropriations, but 1.7% ($21.2 million) less than the Administration's request. As shown in Table 2 , the Administration requested $1.261 billion for ATF for FY2016, an increase of 5.3%. This proposed net increase of $63.4 million over ATF's FY2015 appropriation included $8.1 million to "address deficiencies in Investigative Support Services." These deficiencies, according to ATF, are the result of increased application workloads under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and increased firearms trace requests under the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968. It also included $30.2 million for "staffing restoration" and $25.1 million in other "base adjustments." For FY2012, Congress included futurity language in four of those provisos that appears to be intended to make them permanent law.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the lead federal law enforcement agency charged with administering and enforcing federal laws related to firearms and explosives commerce. ATF is also responsible for investigating arson cases with a federal nexus, and criminal cases involving the diversion of alcohol and tobacco from legal channels of commerce. Congress funds the ATF through an annual appropriation in the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, because it is a component of the Department of Justice (DOJ). For FY2016, Congress appropriated $1.24 billion for ATF in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 (P.L. 114-113). This amount represents a 3.4% increase over the agency's FY2015 appropriations, but 1.7% less than the Administration's request.
For FY2016, by comparison, the Administration requested $1.261 billion for ATF, an increase of 5.3%. This proposed net increase of $63.4 million over ATF's FY2015 appropriation included $8.1 million to "address deficiencies in Investigative Support Services." These deficiencies, according to ATF, are the result of increased application workloads—principally for suppressors—under the National Firearms Act (NFA) of 1934 and increased firearms trace requests under the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968. It also includes $30.2 million for "staffing restoration" and $25.1 million in other "base adjustments."
This report includes an Appendix that provides a legislative history for several ATF funding limitations related to gun control, most of which included "futurity" language that appears to be intended to make them permanent law.