FBI Director Kash Patel Testifies on $12 Billion Budget Request Before Senate

FBI Director Kash Patel will testify before the Senate again, this time defending a budget increase for his agency amid questions about his performance as head of the nation's top federal law enforcement organization.

Patel will appear alongside the directors of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Marshals Service and Drug Enforcement Administration. They are scheduled to urge lawmakers to approve President Donald Trump's budget request for their agencies on Tuesday.

The agencies operate under the Department of Justice, which stands to receive nearly $41 billion under Trump's proposal this year.

The FBI would get the biggest share at $12 billion, a roughly $2 billion jump from the previous year.

Patel's appearance before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies marks his first congressional hearing since last September. Democrats questioned his leadership then after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

He has drawn sharp criticism since, including over the third assassination attempt against Trump last month. A recent Atlantic report also accused Patel of excessive drinking, erratic behavior and frequent absences, claims he has strongly denied.

Patel has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the outlet. In the suit, he said its reporting contained "false and obviously fabricated allegations designed to destroy" his reputation and force him from his post.

Trump's new request follows cuts of about half a billion dollars to FBI funding last year.

Patel initially resisted those reductions. He told House members the agency "cannot cover down on the mission at the levels that we would have to go to."

Days later, he told the Senate he was "in full support of the president’s budget, which reprioritizes and enhances our mission of law enforcement and national security."

The $12 billion would fund expanded violent crime enforcement and arrests, stronger counterterrorism efforts, improved unmanned aerial systems capabilities, training for state and local law enforcement, and added security for major events such as the 2028 Olympics.