FBI, DEA Targeted for Broad Funding Cuts in Trump Proposal (2)

The Trump administration wants to slash Justice Department funding by nearly 8%, including cuts to the FBI and other law enforcement offices, as part of an across-the-board push to cut federal government spending.

In its so-called “skinny” budget, released Friday morning, the White House suggested that Congress provide $33.2 billion to the Justice Department in fiscal 2026, which begins Oct. 1, down from its current funding level of $36 billion.

Many of the proposed cuts target units and programs the White House claims were “weaponized” during the Biden administration.

The FBI would see a $545 million decrease to its current $10.6 billion budget under the proposal, as part of the White House’s stated plans to “reform and streamline” the agency.

“The Administration is committed to undoing the weaponization of the FBI that pervaded the previous administration, which included targeting peaceful pro-life protesters, concerned parents at school board meetings, and citizens opposed to radical transgender ideology,” the proposal said.

Trump takes aim at 40 DOJ grant programs that conflict with his priorities. The White House also proposed a $468 million funding cut to the $1.62 billion budget for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which the proposal claimed was used during the Biden administration to “attack gun-owning Americans and undermine the Second Amendment.”

The proposal similarly targets the DOJ’s civil rights division, tasked with enforcing the nation’s anti-discrimination laws, and its environment and natural resources division for cuts, while prioritizing funds for the criminal division because of its focus on immigration.

The White House also proposed a $212 million budget cut for the Drug Enforcement Administration, which has a current budget of $2.57 billion, and said it would focus its resources on fentanyl trafficking.

The request will be considered by the Republican-controlled Congress, which has ultimate authority to decide funding levels for the government.

The proposed budget cut comes as the administration eyes broader personnel reductions and reorganizations across the department, which contains federal law enforcement agencies including the DEA and US Marshals Service.

The administration gave department employees across multiple major divisions a second opportunity last month to take a deferred resignation, allowing them to take paid leave for several months before separating from the agency.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in March circulated a memo soliciting feedback on an agency-wide reorganization plan, which included combining DEA and the ATF into a “single component agency” and eliminating antitrust, civil, and environmental division field offices.

The memo also proposed scaling back some of the criminal division’s work performed in Washington and reassigning the DOJ’s tax personnel to US attorney’s offices throughout the US.

It is not clear how many staffers have applied to be placed on administrative leave. Department leaders said in April that some employees would not be eligible to take part in the program due to agency priorities.

The political appointee leading the civil rights division has said that more than 100 attorneys are leaving from that unit. The exodus follows sweeping changes to the division’s missions to align its work with the administration’s ideological priorities, including combating anti-Christian bias and preventing transgender women from participating in sports.