'Deeply disturbing': Dem rakes 'insufficient' Kash Patel over the coals at budget hearing

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) grilled FBI Director Kash Patel after his agency purportedly violated the law by failing to provide a timely budget.

"As ranking member Van Hollen noted earlier, this hearing is being held without the FBI's fiscal year 2025 spend plan and a full budget request for fiscal year 2026," Murray told Patel at a Thursday hearing. "The spend plan is required by law. It was due to Congress over a week ago. We have not yet seen it. That is really absurd."

"So, Director Patel, when should we expect this FY 2025 spend plan for the FBI?" she asked.

"I'll get you an answer, ma'am," Patel stated. "I don't have a timeline on that."

"It was due last week by law," the senator noted.

"I understand," the FBI director replied.

"And your answer is you just understand," Murray observed. "You're not going to follow the law?"

The Democrat also pressed Patel on providing a full budget to Congress, "not a single paragraph full of wild talking points that we saw with the skinny budget proposal."

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"It's being worked on, ma'am," Patel insisted.

"When will we get it?" Murray wondered. "Six months from now?"

"I don't know, ma'am," Patel stated. "I'm not going to make up the timeline."

"Well, how do we as Congress do our budget and our work without that request and without the spend plan?" Murray said.

"I'm doing the best I can," Patel opined.

"That is insufficient and deeply disturbing," Murray asserted. "No response?"

"I've given my response," Patel remarked.

Watch the video below from the Senate Appropriations Committee or click the link.