FBI Director Kash Patel said during a May 7 Congressional hearing that the bureau needs more funding than the amount included in a budget proposal put forward by President Donald Trump, which would slash over half a billion dollars from the agency’s budget.
During the House Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee hearing, Patel was asked by Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) about the $545 million in spending cuts to the FBI in Trump’s “skinny budget” proposal for fiscal year 2026. Patel surprised DeLauro and other Democrats on the panel by expressing disagreement with the budget cuts put forward by the White House.
“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,” Patel told DeLauro.
Current funding for the FBI sits at around $10.7 billion. Under Trump’s proposal, that amount would dip to $10.2 billion.
Patel said he’s working on increasing the budget beyond its current funding levels.
“So what do you need?” DeLauro asked. “You need $11.2 billion?
“Approximately,” Patel replied.
Patel’s proposal would be nearly $1 billion dollars beyond the amount proposed by Trump.
The White House proposal “reflects the President’s priority of reducing violent crime in American cities and protecting national security by getting FBI agents into the field by cutting FBI D.C. overhead and preserving existing law enforcement officers,” a statement accompanying the section on the FBI cuts said.
The statement said that 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.”
Some of these “non-law enforcement missions,” the White House said, included diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and redundant agencies that already effectively exist elsewhere.
During her questions to Patel, DeLauro said that spending cuts at the levels proposed would necessitate cuts, and asked Patel which positions would be cut as a result of the White House budget.
“At this time, we have not looked at who to cut. We are focusing our energies on how not to have them cut, by coming in here and highlighting to you that we can’t do the mission on those 2011 budget levels,” Patel replied.
In a follow-up, Patel noted that the FBI had submitted an $11.1 billion budget request, in part in an effort to stave off any mass terminations.
“That’s the proposed budget, not by the FBI. The proposed budget that I put forward is to cover us for $11.1 billion, which would not have us cut any positions,” he said.
DeLauro was thrown by the response as top federal officials usually align with the White House’s plans at such hearings.
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) also expressed surprise at Patel’s handling of the hearing.
“Mr. Patel, I'll tell you. I didn’t support your nomination or your confirmation, but I appreciate what you’re saying here today, especially since you offered to work with us in trying to address a lot of these concerns,” Ivey said.
“I think I appreciate what you said about the budget issue because if you’re saying you think you need more than the skinny budget’s giving, I strongly agree,” he added.
In response to lawmakers, Patel indicated that increasing the agency’s budget would be necessary to keep it running at full capacity on its law enforcement objectives.
Ultimately, Congress will determine the spending levels in the 2026 budget in coordination with the White House. The issue won’t be due until Sept. 30, the day a continuing resolution currently keeping the government funded will expire.
In the interim, Patel will likely continue to make the case to the White House for increasing the agency’s budget, though the outcome of the issue is uncertain.
Prior to his elevation to the directorship of the agency, Patel was a critic of the bureau’s leadership in recent years.
Like Trump, Patel alleged weaponization within the agency against Republicans and conservatives.
Patel has also long emphasized that he believed the FBI could be redeemed through reforms and a commitment to focusing on serious crime.
Prior to the hearing, Patel announced in a press conference alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi that the government had arrested 205 suspected child sex predators in a five-day nationwide sweep.
“If you harm our children, you will be given no sanctuary,” Patel said at the press conference.
“There is no place we will not come to hunt you down. There is no place we will not look for you, and there is no cage we will not put you in, should you do harm to our children.”
