FBI Director Decries Proposed 22 Percent Budget Cut, Says China ‘Not Dialing Back’

FBI Budget Cuts Could Mean More Criminals on the Streets

The FBI is facing a potential budget cut of over 20 percent, which could have a devastating impact on the agency’s ability to tackle violent crime, child abuse, and the economic espionage threat from China. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned lawmakers about the potential consequences of such a cut during his testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.

Wray’s warning comes just one day after House Republicans narrowly passed a bill authorizing a $1.5 trillion increase in the debt ceiling. The Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 would also slash trillions of dollars in government spending, including a 22 percent reduction in funding for the FBI.

The Impact on Violent Crime and Child Abuse

During his testimony, Wray highlighted the FBI’s recent successes in tackling violent crime, including the arrest of 20,000 violent criminals and the dismantling of 370 violent gangs since the beginning of last year. He also noted that much of the FBI’s violent crime work is focused on crimes against children, with the agency arresting roughly 3,000 child predators and saving 2,000 children from abuse and exploitation last year alone.

Wray warned that a 22 percent reduction in funding would mean “hundreds more violent criminals out on the streets, dozens more violent gangs terrorizing communities,” and “hundreds more predators on the loose and hundreds more kids left to their mercy.”

The Threat from China

Wray also emphasized the growing threat from China, noting that the FBI has increased its investigations into the Chinese government and their actors by about 1,300 percent and currently has well over 2,000 active investigations into that threat. He warned that a 22 percent reduction in funding “would mean scores of threats from China left unaddressed.”

Wray also stressed the threats posed by Chinese ransomware, noting that China alone has a program “bigger than that of every other major nation combined, so a 22 percent reduction would be cutting capacity against more and more major attacks which hit critical infrastructure, schools, hospitals, 911 call centers, our innovation, and our economic security.”

The Consequences of a Funding Cut

Wray concluded that a funding cut would also drastically reduce the FBI’s ability to tackle other issues such as the fentanyl crisis, getting the drugs off American streets, organized crime, and cartels. He emphasized that each of these issues requires more funding, not less, and that a funding cut would ultimately impact the American people and the neighborhoods that the FBI is working to protect.

The Bottom Line

President Joe Biden has requested $11.3 billion in salaries and expenses for the FBI in 2024, marking a roughly 6 percent increase in the fiscal year 2023 enacted level for salaries and expenses. The budget also includes planned “enhancements” to the agency totaling $196 million, which Wray said are aimed at “closing the gap” in operational capabilities and meeting the growing threats facing the United States.