FBI Director Kash Patel broke with US President Donald Trump's administration over the 2026 budget proposal released Friday calls for a funding cut of more than $500 million for the bureau.’We need more than what has been proposed,’ he told lawmakers at a hearing Wednesday.Asked to specify at a House Appropriations subcommittee which positions would need to be cut if the funding reduction was implemented, Patel replied: ‘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.’The budget proposal is part of Trump administration's plan to ‘reform and streamline’ the bureau and reduce ‘non-law enforcement missions’.However, Patel said ‘The proposed budget that I put forward is to cover us for $11.1 billion, which would not have us cut any positions.’
