The controversial nominee faced uniform opposition from Republicans and was not a well-liked pick by some key Democrats
The nominee, a former special agent at ATF and current gun control lobbyist, was scrutinized immediately upon his nomination for his publicly anti-firearm positions. Moderate Democrat Senators in the evenly-split chamber signaled to the Biden administration that they were not fans of the choice and it was unclear whether Chipman would have made it through a confirmation vote.
Senate Republicans universally opposed his nomination. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell described Chipman as an "anti-gun extremist."