FBI director says bureau needs more funding than what budget proposal calls for

FBI director Kash Patel testifies during a House Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies budget hearing (AP/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

FBI director Kash Patel broke with the Trump administration over a budget proposal that would dramatically slash funding for the bureau, telling lawmakers: “We need more than what has been proposed.”

The 2026 budget proposal released on Friday calls for a funding cut of more than 500 million dollars (£374 million) for the FBI as part of what the White House said was a desire to “reform and streamline” the bureau and reduce “non-law enforcement missions that do not align” with the priorities of US President Donald Trump.