By Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – FBI Director Kash Patel told lawmakers on Wednesday that a White House budget proposal that slashes funding for federal law enforcement agencies was about $1 billion below what the bureau had sought, and asked them to authorize more money.
The White House budget proposal, released last week, cuts the FBI’s budget by $545 million as part of President Donald Trump’s administration’s plan to shrink federal spending by $163 billion.
Patel told a House of Representatives panel he plans to work with Congress and the White House budget office to “explain why we need more than what has been proposed in that budget.”
“We have not looked at who to cut,” Patel said. “We are focusing our energies on how not to have them cut.”
Patel revealed the FBI sought about $11.1 billion to fund its law enforcement activities, $1 billion more than the White House proposal and a figure Patel said would avoid cuts to FBI staff. The remarks from Patel, a loyal Trump defender, revealed a rare public rift between the FBI and the White House over budget issues.
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut told Patel that the White House budget proposal “quite literally would defund law enforcement.”
The fiscal-year 2026 budget proposal also calls for cutting the budgets for the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Reuters previously reported.
Patel urged the House panel to give the bureau the funds it needs to combat violent crime and terrorism.
GOVERNMENT PLANE IN SPOTLIGHT
Also on Wednesday, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee asked a congressional watchdog to scrutinize Patel’s use of a government airplane, amid questions about his frequent personal travel and whether he is reimbursing the government.
As FBI director, Patel is required to fly on a government plane for all his travel for security reasons. If such flights are used for personal travel, the director is required by federal regulations to reimburse the government at the rate of a commercial flight.
“The FBI does not comment on travel arrangements for security purposes,” an FBI spokesperson said in a statement. “All ethical guidelines are followed rigorously.”
Patel, unlike most of his predecessors, has embraced the limelight as FBI director. His social media account on X is flooded with photos of him attending NHL games and Ultimate Fighting Championship matches, where he has posed for pictures with celebrities including legendary hockey player Wayne Gretzky and actor Mel Gibson.
Public flight-tracking data shows that an FBI plane made at least three trips out to Nashville, where Patel’s girlfriend and country singer Alexis Wilkins resides.
On at least one of those trips, Patel met with Governor Bill Lee and Republican Senators Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn, according to his social media posts.
Public flight records also show several FBI planes took trips to Las Vegas, where Patel maintains a residence, as well as to New York City. The timing of the New York flight coincided with an appearance by Patel at an Islanders hockey game.
The New York Times previously reported on some of the flights.
“Some of these flights appear to coincide with official business, but it is not clear whether all travel was mission-related or personal in nature,” Durbin wrote in his letter.
(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch and Andrew Goudsward; editing by Deepa Babington)
