FBI Director Kash Patel has strongly opposed President Trump’s proposed $545 million budget cut to the FBI, warning it would Cripple core operations. Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee, Patel stated that the agency cannot fulfill its mission with 2011-level funding. Trump’s budget prioritizes counterterrorism and fieldwork, slashing D.C. overhead and defunding diversity programs. Patel said the FBI needs $11.1 billion to operate without layoffs and is urgently negotiating with Congress to reverse the cut. The dispute underscores tensions between Trump’s fiscal agenda and federal law enforcement priorities.