FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday said he fully backs the Trump administration’s proposed FBI budget after testifying to a House panel.

“As I mentioned today during my testimony, I fully back President Trump’s budget, which ensures comprehensive funding for the FBI and its vital mission. Any implication otherwise is incorrect and misleading,” Patel stated after the hearing with the House Appropriations Committee.

Last Friday, a proposal was introduced that plans to reduce the FBI’s budget by $545 million as part of President Donald Trump’s strategy to decrease government spending by $163 billion.

“We cannot fulfill our responsibilities at the funding levels that would revert to 2011 standards if the budget cuts you have just described are put into effect,” Patel expressed during his testimony on Wednesday before the House Appropriations Committee.

Patel also urged the panel to approve an $11.1 billion budget for the bureau — an increase of $1 billion over the proposed figure — to combat what he described as increased levels of crime and terrorism across the country. 

The Trump administration has proposed a $545 million budget cut to streamline FBI operations. (Anna Moneymaker/Kent Nishimura)

It also would eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs as well as “pet projects” from the former Biden administration, as they “do not align with the president’s priorities,” the budget proposal added.

“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,” the FBI statement continued. “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.”