Washington, May 13, 2026, 17:04 (EDT)
- FBI Director Kash Patel flatly rejected claims that his job performance suffered because of drinking or frequent absences, telling a Senate budget hearing the accusations were simply not true.
- On Wednesday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen shared the results of his own alcohol-use screening after Patel challenged him, saying he’d do the test if Van Hollen did first.
- Patel sought $12.53 billion for the FBI’s 2027 budget, a request that also called for roughly 3,200 new positions, as the clash unfolded in Congress.
FBI Director Kash Patel’s budget hearing on Wednesday quickly shifted gears, erupting into a dispute over his behavior when Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen posted his own alcohol-use screening and pushed Patel to follow suit.
There’s a lot at stake as Congress debates Patel’s push for a bigger FBI budget, with Democrats raising concerns that his leadership may have eroded trust within the bureau. Patel’s prepared remarks outline a $12.53 billion ask for fiscal 2027, calling for almost 1,300 new special agents and additional funding targeting cyber, counterterrorism, and violent-crime initiatives.
Tuesday’s Senate hearing was set up to examine the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service, and ATF. But it was Patel who grabbed the spotlight. The Appropriations Committee billed the session as a look at President Donald Trump’s proposed law-enforcement budget for fiscal 2027, with Chair Jerry Moran in charge.
Van Hollen, the panel’s top Democrat, zeroed in on The Atlantic’s reporting, which accused Patel of “conspicuous inebriation and unexplained absences” while in office. Patel, who’s filed a $250 million lawsuit against the magazine and its reporter, dismissed the allegations as a “total farce.” The Atlantic maintains it stands by its story. Reuters
Patel fired back, labeling the accusations “unequivocally, categorically false” and assured Van Hollen he refused to be “tarnished by baseless allegations.” Then the FBI chief went after the senator, bringing up a trip Van Hollen took to El Salvador and alleging he drank at taxpayer expense—a charge Van Hollen dismissed as “provably false.” AP News
After Van Hollen uploaded his filled-out Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, or AUDIT, the conversation shifted to the internet. The World Health Organization characterizes AUDIT as a screening tool for risky and problematic alcohol use, not a medical diagnosis or legal judgment by itself.
During the hearing, Patel declared he’d take whatever test Van Hollen opted for, telling him, “Let’s go. Side by side,” per reports. Van Hollen’s office promptly challenged Patel to stand by his word, but as of this day, the FBI hadn’t said if Patel would actually disclose his results. The Daily Beast
Patel escalated things, pointing to a $7,128 tab at a Washington bar. According to a Van Hollen spokesperson speaking to the Guardian, that amount covered a staff holiday reception held after hours—campaign money picked up the bill, not taxpayer funds.
Patel pivoted the hearing toward the FBI’s statistics. According to his testimony, the bureau made 34,000 violent-crime arrests in 2025, broke up 1,800 gangs and criminal enterprises, and confiscated over 2,250 kilograms of fentanyl. These numbers reflect Patel’s pitch for the budget—not Senate-verified data.
Still, Patel faces an obvious drawback: the allegations linger, unresolved, and the battle could steer further toward lawsuits and partisan investigations, leaving budget policy on the back burner. Democrats brought up his Milan Winter Olympics visit and other incidents. Republicans, for their part, focused on touting his record against crime during the hearing.
After the hearing, FBI public affairs official Ben Williamson backed Patel, saying the bureau’s focus remains on cutting crime. But Van Hollen argued Patel’s behavior created doubts about his suitability. Now, Congress faces two unresolved issues: funding Patel’s proposed expansion, and deciding if the FBI director’s conduct becomes a longer-term oversight matter.
