The FBI’s counterterrorism and criminal investigations have slowed dramatically amid the second-longest government shutdown in U.S. history, leaving agents without funds to pay informants or carry out undercover operations. Current and former bureau officials warn the budget freeze is compromising national security.
The partial shutdown, now in its 30th day, has halted payments for informants and blocked operational travel vital to drug and gun trafficking probes, according to multiple current and former FBI employees. The bureau’s $10.7 billion budget remains partially frozen, preventing agents from reimbursing sources or traveling beyond their local jurisdictions.
An FBI spokesperson told Reuters that the shutdown has placed the bureau in an “extremely difficult position” as it reallocates limited resources across critical investigations.
“President Trump has repeatedly called for the federal government to reopen, and the FBI fully concurs with that position,” the spokesperson said. “Those choosing to play politics with government funding are putting national security at risk.”
FBI Director Kash Patel has echoed similar warnings internally, emphasizing that ongoing investigations in counterterrorism, organized crime, and narcotics trafficking are being delayed or halted altogether.
Retired FBI agent Tom Simon, who served 26 years at the bureau, described the situation as dangerous for intelligence gathering. “In a shutdown, the FBI’s eyes and ears go dark,” he said. “Without funds to pay informants, the Bureau loses its most critical source of real-time intelligence.”
Another former agent, Dan Brunner, who worked on MS-13 gang investigations, said managing unpaid informants requires “some massaging by experienced agents” to maintain trust. He warned that this has become more difficult as many veteran agents have left the bureau in recent months.
The ongoing funding impasse has furloughed hundreds of thousands of federal workers, disrupted the release of key economic data, and threatened to halt several social aid programs. While the Trump administration has sought ways to keep law enforcement and active-duty military funded, FBI operations remain partially unfunded.
Democrats in Congress have continued to block temporary funding bills, demanding extensions for federal health insurance subsidies covering more than 24 million Americans.
With no end in sight, FBI officials say they are prioritizing the most urgent cases but acknowledge that prolonged delays could have long-term effects on criminal prosecutions and national security.
Africa Digital News, New York
