FY26 Hearing Highlights FBI’s Public Safety Mission
Washington, D.C. – This week, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY), Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK), and other appropriators underscored the vital role of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in safeguarding national security and combating violent crime during an oversight hearing with Director Kash Patel. The discussion centered on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request and ongoing threats from drug trafficking, cybercrime, and terrorism. Lawmakers examined staffing and field office strategies and emphasized the need for bipartisan support to maintain the FBI’s operational capacity. The hearing reflected continued collaboration to ensure justice, transparency, and protection for all Americans.
Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee Chairman Hal Rogers said, "I am looking forward to your leadership in tackling some of the most important and dangerous issues that our nation is facing. In fact, we are already starting to see progress since you were confirmed for this role earlier in the year. First and foremost, we finally have secure borders, making our communities safe again. Our borders, when unsecured, provide an express lane directly into our country for fentanyl and other illicit drugs that target our children, our schools, our families, and our neighborhoods. From a crackdown on cartel operations and trafficking to enhanced immigration enforcement, the importance of a strong and secure border cannot be understated. I want to thank you and President Trump for putting our nation’s borders front and center.
"However, your work will never cease. Without taking a day off, your FBI must diligently prevent terrorism from striking our shores, nor can the Bureau allow espionage to overtake our institutions and our people. The constant advancements in technology and artificial intelligence are a double-edged sword, providing new opportunities for economic development in our communities, but also creating new risks for our hospitals, our banks, our educational institutions, and even putting our children in harm’s way when it comes to cybercrimes. This is an important job, one of the most important in our nation. Criminals move fast and change methods regularly to evade capture. The FBI must be smarter, faster, and anticipate the underworld’s next move."
Full remarks as prepared for delivery are available here.
Chairman Cole said, "The mission of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is a significant one: protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. Your work to secure our communities, along with preserving the integrity and trust of our top law enforcement agencies, is impactful each day. Importantly, the FBI has been instrumental in Operation Not Forgotten, which focuses on investigations, services, and intelligence for Indian Country. According to the Department of Justice, at the beginning of Fiscal Year 2025, the FBI’s Indian Country program had approximately 4,300 open investigations, including over 900 death investigations, 1,000 child abuse investigations, and more than 500 domestic violence and adult sexual abuse investigations. Director Patel, I want to thank you and the FBI for reinstating and bolstering this critically important initiative not only for Oklahoma, but also for the entire country. As you may know, more than four in five Native American and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime. The murder rate is ten times higher than the national average for women living on reservations - initiatives like these are what make the FBI stand apart.
"Our nation faces countless threats. From terrorism and drug traffickers to cybercrimes and child exploitation, violent criminals work to expose our weaknesses on a daily basis. The work of the FBI is unmatched, and thus Congress must effectively and efficiently appropriate funding to match these overwhelming tasks."
Full remarks as prepared for delivery are available here.
FBI Director Patel said, "Keeping Americans safe at home and abroad is a no-fail mission. The FBI currently has over 35,000 direct-funded positions. The dedicated men and women in those positions are tackling a myriad of threats head on, from a surge in terrorism threats in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, to a scourge of fentanyl killing Americans from coast to coast, to an explosion of violent crime plaguing our communities. The FBI’s FY 2026 budget request directly supports our coordination and partnership with Federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners...
"The FBI takes its responsibility of fiscal stewardship seriously and is looking at all available options to optimize existing resources and deliver more efficiently. Over the past two months, we have commenced the process to reallocate hundreds of positions from the National Capital Region out to field offices across the country to enhance investigative capacity and provide better support to Federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. This enhancement to field resources will increase the investigative capacity in 49 of our 55 field offices and will enable the FBI to focus these resources on addressing violent crime, gangs, drugs, counterintelligence, and terrorism threats. In conclusion, the threats we face as a nation have never been greater or more diverse, and the expectations placed on the FBI have never been higher. With the requested resources, the FBI will have the talent, tools, and authorities to do more to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution."
Full remarks as prepared for delivery are available here.
The hearing reaffirmed the House Appropriations Committee’s focus on ensuring the FBI has the tools, resources, and oversight needed to protect the American people and uphold the Constitution. As the appropriations process continues, lawmakers pledged to work closely with Director Patel to strengthen national security, combat violent crime, and restore public trust in federal law enforcement.
###
