Department of Justice eliminates 4,500 jobs, plans to cut 1,500 from FBI

The Justice Department has eliminated roughly 4,500 jobs and plans to cut 1,500 more from the FBI, according to the agency's new budget proposal.

The DOJ's fiscal 2026 budget request released Monday aims to reduce 5,093 positions, 4,500 of which are already vacant due to the Trump administration's deferred resignation program. The 4,500 jobs already eliminated have resulted in a savings of at least $470 million, according to the proposal.

The FBI "budget is reduced by $545 million and assumes a reduction of over 1,500 positions, including over 700 vacant agent positions," reads the department's request.

“Capitalizing on increased efficiency, the FBI will prioritize core missions of securing the border, eliminating transnational criminal organizations, reinforcing national security, and protecting the American people from violent crime,” per the proposal's summary.

The reductions are still less than 5% of the DOJ's roughly 105,000-person workforce after the cuts are made.

"The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) budget is reduced by $112 million, refocusing DEA efforts toward fentanyl trafficking," according to the DOJ's proposal, and "the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is being reduced by $468 million and consolidated within DEA."

"The 2026 request includes a decrease of $823 million for state and local grant programs from the 2025 enacted level through an array of reductions and eliminations targeting unnecessary, wasteful, and ineffective programs," the department added.

The DOJ's budget request is for $33.6 billion, which is $2.5 billion less than the prior fiscal year's budget.

The proposal includes nearly $11 billion to combat violent crime; more than $10 billion to fight drug crime; $3.6 billion for immigration enforcement and $2.3 billion on southwest border enforcement; and $3.2 billion toward efforts against transnational organized crime.

The budget request also seeks "nearly $227 million for [Bureau of Prisons] to address critical staffing shortages through the addition of 587 correctional officer positions, and restores incentives aimed at recruiting and retaining institution staff."