FBI director working to avoid proposed White House cuts

Ryan Tarinelli, CQ-Roll Call on May 7, 2025

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WASHINGTON — FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers Wednesday that he is working to avoid a proposed $545 million in cuts to the agency outlined in the White House’s budget request for fiscal 2026, saying those reductions would force him to fire 1,300 employees.

Patel, appearing before the House Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations subcommittee, acknowledged there was a stark distance between funding the FBI needs to do its mission and the figure indicated in the White House’s “skinny” budget request released last week.

The Trump administration’s budget proposed $10.1 billion in FBI salaries and expenses funding, about a 5 percent cut from current funding levels, according to a written statement from Patel that was submitted before the hearing.

But under questioning from Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, Patel said the FBI had asked for $11.2 billion.

“The skinny budget is a proposal and I’m working through the appropriations process to explain why we need more than what has been proposed in that budget,” Patel said.

“What do you need? You need $11.2 billion?” DeLauro asked.

“Approximately,” Patel responded.

Later in the hearing, Patel said he would be forced to remove 1,300 employees if Congress moves forward with the White House’s budget request.

The White House budget blueprint outlines $545 million in cuts related to the topic of “Reform and Streamline the FBI,” saying the budget “reflects a new focus on counterintelligence and counterterrorism, while reducing non-law enforcement missions that do not align with the President’s priorities.”

At the hearing, Rep. Harold Rogers, R-Ky., said the proposed FBI budget the president sent Congress was “limited in detail.”

Rep. Glenn F. Ivey, D-Md., said he was concerned to see the proposed FBI cuts, and said it would be “horrible” for the agency to have to eliminate hundreds of positions or fire hundreds of employees.

“If you’re saying you think you need more than what the skinny budget’s giving, I strongly agree,” Ivey said.

The White House last week outlined a 7.6% cut for the Justice Department, compared with $36 billion enacted for fiscal 2025, as the Trump administration has been looking to reshape federal law enforcement and eliminate a slate of department grant programs.

At the hearing on Wednesday, Patel also underscored a broader push of his: moving FBI positions based in the Washington, D.C., area to locations across the country. But he also said the agency won’t be abandoning a presence in the nation’s capital.

They are reviewing options to keep the agency in D.C. but will be leaving the J. Edgar Hoover Building because it’s unsafe for personnel, Patel said.