Warren, Durbin, Castro, Meeks, Lead 50+ Democrats in Challenging Trump Administration’s Gun Industry-Friendly Changes to Trade Rules

Warren, Durbin, Castro, Meeks, Lead 50+ Democrats in Challenging Trump Administration's Gun Industry-Friendly Changes to Trade Rules

"Eliminating firearm export rules is a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers responsible for the deaths of Americans and innocent civilians around the world… in order to protect 'hundreds of millions of dollars per year in export opportunities' for the gun industry."

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ranking Member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with Representatives Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Ranking Member of House Foreign Affairs Committee's Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote to the Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the Department of State (State) pressing for answers about the Trump administration's elimination of a rule that was stemming the export of dangerous weapons to cartels and criminal organizations around the world.

"This reversal increases the risk of criminal and terrorist organizations accessing assault weapons, heightening the threat of violence against law enforcement personnel and civilians," wrote the lawmakers.

In April 2024, the Biden administration issued a rule that strengthened controls on certain commercial exports of firearms, after finding that many exported guns were being "misused or diverted in a manner that adversely impacted U.S. national security and foreign policy interests." Last month, Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), which issues export licenses to foreign purchasers of American-made firearms, decided to eliminate the rule, largely because it "negatively affected the U.S. firearms industry."

"We are concerned that BIS's decision to prioritize the profits of the U.S. firearms industry will undermine U.S. interests at home and abroad…firearms from the United States have exacerbated homicide rates that drive northward migration," said the members.

For example, after a surge of weapons and ammunition into Ecuador from the United States and neighboring Peru, its homicide rate grew exponentially, making Ecuador one of the most violent nations in Latin America. The rise in crime potentially contributed to its status as one of the top countries of origin for individuals crossing the U.S. southern border without documentation.

Commerce's move also takes away some of the most critical tools BIS had for ensuring that American firearms do not supply international criminal actors with dangerous weapons-including a policy of denying gun exports to private buyers in the most dangerous countries unless they can demonstrate that the export would pose a particularly low risk.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently acknowledged to Congress that the U.S. possesses an "interest" in stopping the flow of "weapons that are bought in the United States and shipped" overseas that end up in the hands of cartels.

"While BIS and Republicans in Congress argue that rescission will benefit the firearm industry, doing so will also run directly counter to other core goals of this Administration," said the lawmakers.

The lawmakers argue that instead of reversing the rule, Commerce should have, if anything, strengthened the rule to ensure adequate oversight of governments buying weapons from the United States. and capped the number of exports to commercial buyers.

"Eliminating firearm export rules is a gift to violent cartels and drug traffickers responsible for the deaths of Americans and innocent civilians around the world. [Ending the former rule] sacrifices some of this administration's top priorities in order to protect 'hundreds of millions of dollars per year in export opportunities' for the gun industry," the coalition concluded.

The lawmakers asked the Commerce and State Departments to respond by November 4, 2025 with information about the steps the departments took in the process of eliminating the rule, including whether the agencies met with firearm industry stakeholders regarding export controls, and more.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) joined in signing the letter.

Representatives Gabe Amo (D-R.I.), Greg Casar (D-Texas), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.), Dwight Evans (D-Pa.), Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Jesus García (D-Ill.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), Bill Keating (D-Mass.), Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Timothy Kennedy (D-N.Y.), George Latimer (D-N.Y.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Lucy McBath (D-Ga.), Sarah McBride (D-Del.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.), Dave Min (D-Calif.), Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Suhas Subramanyan (D-Va.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Norma Torres (D-Calif.), and Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), joined in signing the letter.

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