FBI Director Kash Patel faced sharp criticism from lawmakers over his failure to submit a required budget plan and questions about his use of government aircraft for personal travel. At the same time, a senior official who supervised the bureau’s aviation units was reportedly told to resign or be fired.
Patel testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee without the spending plan he was required by law to complete for fiscal year 2026, having missed the budget deadline. When pressed for a completion timeline, Patel said he had no timeline.
During an interview on Fox News, host Brett Baier questioned Patel about his overdue budget submission. Patel deflected, saying the Office of Management and Budget sets the government budget.
Despite his failure to provide a detailed spending plan, Patel requested $10.1 billion in salaries and expenses for FY2026, even as the White House proposal called for roughly a $545 million cut to the FBI’s budget.
The budget controversy coincided with mounting scrutiny over Patel’s use of government aircraft. FBI directors are required to use agency jets for personal travel due to security reasons. However, reports surfaced that Patel used government planes to travel from his home in Las Vegas, visit his girlfriend Alexis Wilkins at a performance in Nashville, and attend sporting events.
Senate Democrats called for an investigation into Patel’s use of a jet. The FBI claimed Patel broke no rules and paid reimbursement in advance.
Patel claimed prior FBI directors wasted tens of millions of dollars on personal trips.
The controversy intensified when Steven Palmer, a 27-year FBI veteran whose responsibilities included supervising the bureau’s aviation units, was told to resign immediately or be fired.
Patel’s most recent trip using an FBI jet, a $60 million aircraft, took him to Pennsylvania, where country musician Alexis Wilkins performed. Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI agent who now hosts a podcast, questioned the trip on his podcast.
The FBI director’s work arrangements also drew attention. Former FBI counterintelligence official Frank Figliuzzi said Patel was more visible at nightclubs than at FBI headquarters. Figliuzzi noted that daily briefings to the director had been reduced from daily to twice weekly.
Figliuzzi described conditions at FBI headquarters as chaotic, with staff uncertain about day-to-day operations. Reports indicated that Patel works remotely from his Las Vegas home for at least part of the week.
“People don’t know what’s happening from day to day,” Figliuzzi said, adding that the FBI headquarters was experiencing significant confusion about everyday activities.
The requirement for FBI directors to use government aircraft stems from security protocols established after threats against bureau leadership became more common. Unlike other federal officials who can choose commercial travel, FBI directors must use the agency’s fleet even for personal trips. However, they are required to reimburse the government for personal use.
This arrangement has been standard practice for FBI directors for years, though previous directors have faced less scrutiny over their travel patterns.
Patel’s predecessors, including James Comey and Christopher Wray, also used government aircraft for personal travel as required by security protocols.
The budget deadline Patel missed was a statutory requirement that applies to all federal agencies. The FBI’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 needed to be submitted to allow Congress adequate time to review spending plans and allocate funds appropriately.
The timing of the budget crisis coincided with Trump’s stated intention to reduce FBI funding, creating tension between the director’s request and the White House’s plan for a $1 billion cut.
Palmer’s departure marked a significant personnel change in the FBI’s administrative structure. His experience included oversight responsibilities for specialized units, including the aviation division that manages the bureau’s fleet of aircraft used for official travel, surveillance operations, and emergency response.
The aviation unit Palmer supervised operates sophisticated aircraft worth tens of millions of dollars and requires extensive coordination for scheduling, maintenance, and compliance with federal aviation regulations. His removal came amid the controversy over Patel’s travel to see Wilkins perform.
Whether Palmer had any role in the information about Patel’s travel becoming public remained unclear. Patel’s flight schedules were traceable through publicly available online tracking services, and he himself posted photographs with Wilkins at events, making his whereabouts easily discoverable without insider information.
The convergence of the budget crisis and travel controversy created a challenging period for the FBI director, whom Trump appointed to lead the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. The Senate Appropriations Committee’s authority over FBI funding gave lawmakers significant leverage in demanding accountability for both spending plans and travel expenses.
