According to DOJ budget documents and union estimates, the FBI has cut more than 1,500 positions this year, including hundreds of administrative and support roles. Image: Michael Rosebrock/Shutterstock.com
By: FEDweek StaffThe FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) has issued an urgent appeal to congressional leaders, alleging that FBI Director Kash Patel has carried out a series of “summary terminations” that bypassed long‑standing due process protections for career agents. In an August 21 letter to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, FBIAA President Natalie Bara said the firings “were completely lacking in both due process and dignity,” and have left the affected agents “with no explanation… other than political retribution.”
The letter cites the August 8 dismissal of five senior officials—former Acting Director and later head of the Critical Incident Response Group, Brian Driscoll; and Washington Field Office Assistant Director Steven Jensen—who, according to the association, were neither accused of misconduct nor given notice or an opportunity to respond, as required by FBI policy. Driscoll and Walter Giardina, both preference‑eligible combat veterans, were both entitled under federal law to additional procedural safeguards under Title 5. Christopher Meyer, Special Agent, CIRG and an FBI Pilot, and Spencer Evans, Special Agent in Charge, Las Vegas, then Huntsville, Ala. were the other two named dismissed senior officials.
Of the five senior FBI officials dismissed on August 8, Evans is the only one of the five who never appeared before a Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) judge, operating under Title 5 of the U.S. Code. The FBI invoked a national‑security jurisdictional bar, which is now itself a point of legal dispute. The other four are in a combined MSPB case still in early procedural stages.
Patel, confirmed in February after pledging in his confirmation hearing to “honor the internal review process of the FBI,” has defended the actions in media interviews, saying he will remove any personnel found to have “weaponized” the Bureau in past politically-sensitive cases. Critics inside and outside the FBI say the moves risk politicizing the agency’s work and undermining morale.
In its letter and a separate message to members, the FBIAA—which represents more than 14,000 active and retired agents—warned that eroding due process “creates instability and uncertainty within the Bureau… and jeopardizes public safety.” The group urged Congress to use its oversight authority to ensure employment actions comply with law and policy, stressing that agents “need to be focused on their work and not on potentially being illegally fired based on their assignments.”
The dispute echoes broader federal workforce concerns:
- Due process rights for career employees are a cornerstone of the merit system.
- Preference‑eligible veterans have statutory protections that, if bypassed, can trigger legal challenges.
- Summary terminations without cause or review can chill decision‑making in politically sensitive cases, affecting operational effectiveness.
According to DOJ budget documents and union estimates, the FBI has cut more than 1,500 positions this year, including hundreds of administrative and support roles. Between 500 and 750 personnel are believed to have accepted OPM’s Deferred Resignation Program—a voluntary separation offer rolled out government‑wide in January—while dozens of others have been removed outright. Precise, up‑to‑date FBI‑specific counts have not been disclosed by OPM or the Bureau.
Further information on the cuts can be tracked through the forthcoming Q4 OPM FedScope datasets, DOJ OIG special reports, and House/Senate hearing records over the remainder of 2025. These data releases and oversight actions provide the broader context in which the FBIAA’s allegations arise, amid heightened scrutiny of federal law enforcement leadership changes and following other high‑profile removals in the early months of President Trump’s second term.
Federal Pay Raise in 2026 Unlikely; Trump Expected to Affirm Decision by End of Month
DoD Announces Civilian Volunteer Detail in Support of Immigration Enforcement
Urban Policing Order Calls for Hiring Federal LEOs, Deputized Guard Unit
Ruling on CFPB Job Cuts Could Affect Challenges to Other RIFs and Reorgs
Schnitzer: How to Challenge a Federal Reduction in Force (RIF) in 2025
See also,
Trusts and Estate Tax in 2025: Why Federal Employees May Need to Revisit Old Plans
Should I be Shooting for a $1M TSP Balance? Depends…
What to Know About the New Federal Application Process
Pre-RIF To-Do List from a Federal Employment Attorney
Top 10 Provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill of Interest to Federal Employees
