FBI Director Kash Patel Reverses Course, Agrees With Proposed Budget Cut for Bureau

The administration has proposed a $10.2 billion budget for the FBI.

FBI Director Kash Patel testifies during a Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies hearing on fiscal year 2026 budget requests, on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 8, 2025. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

FBI Director Kash Patel reversed course on May 8 and said that he can make do with the cut the Trump administration has proposed to the bureau.

“My view is that we will make and agree with this budget as it stands, and make it work for the operational necessity of the FBI,” he told the Senate Appropriations Committee.