Federal Times Article on Budget Deal Quotes FBIAA President

A new Federal Times article quotes a number of experts saying that the newly unveiled congressional budget agreement should lessen the need for furloughs in government agencies.

The article concludes that the Defense Department will benefit from the agreement which will hold off cuts slated to begin next month.

From the article -

"Leaders of the FBI Agents Association, who warned last week that furloughs would disrupt critical crime-fighting operations, 'are very pleased' that lawmakers reached a compromise, President Reynaldo Tariche said Wednesday.

Until the FBI’s final budget is known, however, the association is otherwise 'reserving our judgment,' he said."

Read the full article for reactions to the budget deal from the Bureau and others.

NPR Blog Post Features FBIAA on Bipartisan Budget Deal

Carrie Johnson, a Justice reporter for NPR, took to the outlet's The Two-Way blog to write about FBIAA's opinion on the recently unveiled bipartisan budget deal.

Johnson notes that FBI agents have thus far "been among the most vocal opponents of the spending cuts triggered by sequestration, warning about everything from having to abandon surveillance work to a lack of gas money."

But, she writes, in an effort to prevent further cuts next year, FBIAA "is throwing its clout behind" the Ryan-Murray budget deal.

And with good reason.

She writes, "The sequestration fallout for the bureau has been significant — no new hires, empty parking lots at the training center in Quantico, Va., and damaged relationships with local and international police."

Read Johnson's full post which includes quotes from FBIAA President Rey Tariche showing support for the deal while also expressing concern about provisions requiring Agents and others to pay more into their pension plans.

FBIAA President Ray Tariche Sends a Letter to Senator Patty Murray and Representative Paul Ryan

A congressional budget deal between the House and Senate was announced last night.

Called the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, the deal is the result of negotiations over the past few weeks by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA).  It still has to pass through Congress, but it would set spending for the next fiscal year at $1.012 trillion and increase it to $1.014 trillion the year after that.

As the Huffington Post and others have reported, the Act pays for the spending increases in part by requiring both federal workers and military personnel to contribute a greater portion of their own funds to their pensions.

FBIAA President Rey Tariche sent a letter on behalf of the FBIAA membership expressing support for the lawmakers' efforts to avoid further sequestration cuts but also voicing concern about the impacts of increased pension contribution requirements on FBI Agents.

Rey wrote, "On behalf of the FBI Agents Association ("FBIAA") a voluntary professional association currently representing over 12,000 active duty and retired FBI Agents, I write to express the FBIAA's support for the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2013, which would help prevent the next round of devastating cuts to the FBI's budget."

"However," he continued, "we do not believe that avoiding these cuts should require that Agents receive a cut in their pay in the form of increased pension contributions.  Agent pay and benefits are not the cause of this country's fiscal problems, and cutting these benefits have minimal impact on reducing the deficit."

Read Rey's full letter below.

Have you heard our Voices from the Field?

Our Voices from the Field report contains first-hand accounts from FBI Special Agents.  The stories illustrate how recent budget cuts affect our work and the risks associated with any additional budget cuts or furloughs.

We released the first FBI Agents Association Voices from the Field report in October 2013 and we've been updating it with more stories and analysis since.

We released the report to ensure that Congress, the Administration, and the public are aware of the strain already placed on federal law enforcement budgets, and the risks that further cuts could pose to the safety of our nation.

To read the Agents stories', click the link below.

POLITICO Reports: "Year 2 of sequestration: Gloom looming"

One of the most read Washington, DC-based news sources, POLITICO, published an article on Sunday about sequestration.  We were especially pleased to see this coverage because the article places us and our concerns squarely in the center of the budget and sequestration controversy.  With a budget deal expected to be announced and voted on by the House in next few days, this is an important article.

Look for the mention of FBIAA on page 2 -

"'The good news is they are talking. They told us they are talking. And the decorum has gotten I think better,' said Reynaldo Tariche, president of the FBI Agents Association. His group met last week with aides to Ryan and Murray to describe what could happen at the FBI if the lawmakers can’t strike a deal: Ten to 15 days of furloughs, empty classrooms at the bureau’s Quantico, Va., training center and diminished capacity to respond to threats from terrorists and home-grown criminals."

Medill National Security Zone: Latest in FBIAA NEWSMAKER Coverage

Medill National Security Zone is the latest to publish an article about last week's NEWSMAKER event.

The 15-paragraph summary of the event is available online here.  Read it for a reminder of the warnings FBIAA leadership issued about furloughs, hiring freezes and a decrease in resources for ongoing and new investigations.

The article captured a specifically compelling narrative offered by Association Vice President Thomas O’Connor, “If on the 16th of September [when the Navy Yard shooting occurred], half of our office was furloughed, it would have been much more difficult to get those resources to the scene.  The SWAT team would have not been in a position to respond as quickly. If everybody’s home … it’s going to be the phone tree to get people in. It’s going to be much more difficult.”

National Press Club Write Up About FBIAA NEWSMAKER

If you're just tuning in to our blog now, FBIAA leadership held a press event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC this week.

The NPC was good enough to post a short article encompassing the highlights of the event.

Writer Jennifer Ejim quotes FBIAA President Rey Tariche saying, "The sequestration budget cuts would affect some mission-critical operational needs which would not be met."

Ejim also points readers to our Voices from the Field report, saying it is "based on the 'real-life' experiences of FBI special agents regarding the effects of recent budget cuts on their work."

Additionally, the article recounts the discussion of potential furloughs and the drastic impact those days might have on investigations.

Read the full NPC summary of the event to see how FBIAA "has been going to both sides of the aisle, trying to get fully funded so that they can do their mission, which is to protect the American people from criminals and terrorist threats.”

Tickle the Wire News Hit

A new story on the Tickle the Wire site describes this week's NEWSMAKER event in Washington, DC.

The clear and concise piece picks out some of the highlights of the press event, including the concerns about budget impacts raised by FBIAA leadership.  In particular, the article notes predictions that sequestration may force Agents to take between 10 and 15 days of furloughs.

Read the full piece, which closes with a powerful quote from FBIAA President Rey Tariche, here.

FBIAA Makes Washinton Post Federal Eye Blog

The Washington Post Federal Eye Blog is dedicated to "keeping tabs on the federal government."  Turns out, our NEWSMAKER event caught the attention of the blog.

Here's the paragraph writer Josh Hicks wrote about us -

"FBI agents say criminals may have it easier if the sequester continues:  The FBI Agents Association said potential furloughs, an ongoing hiring freeze and a suspension of training associated with government-wide budget cuts known as the sequester would leave the FBI less capable of combating terrorist attacks and other criminal activities, according to a Government Executive article."

Federal Times Reports on FBIAA NEWSMAKER

The headline, "Another sequester means FBI furloughs, agents group warns," captures one of the central messages of yesterday's press event in Washington, DC.

The solid seven paragraph article in the Federal Times gets the rest.  The article points to the stories contained in the FBIAA Voices from the Field report as evidence of the tough financial strain facing Agents, a strain which keeps them from opening cases, costs them valuable, confidential informants and reduces opportunities for crucial surveillance.

The article also quotes FBI spokeswoman Allison Mahan who, according to the article, confirmed that the bureau anticipates furloughing agents in the event of another sequester.  The article also notes that Ms. Mahan said that the the FBI expects to cut about 3,500 positions — or 10 percent of its workforce — by early 2015 and will  permanently cutting more than $350 million for physical surveillance, hostage rescue team training and other “non-personnel” expenses.

The article concludes by quoting Agent John Fagan who remarked during yesterday's event, "Everything’s suffering.  It just goes straight on across the board."

You can read the full article here.

Did you know that FBIAA President Rey Tariche speaks Spanish?

He does!

At yesterday's NEWSMAKER event in Washington, DC, Rey did a Spanish language interview and an article was posted today on Ambito.com.  The full piece, "El FBI advirtió que recortes afectarán la estrategia contra el terrorismo"  is available here.

Spanish speakers (or users of Google Translate) can read Rey's description of the potential impacts of budget cuts - and especially mandatory furlough days - on law enforcement activities.

New York Daily News Highlights FBIAA Press Event

The New York Daily News posted a short and sweet article about yesterday's press event - "FBI Agents Association wants Congress to rescind spending cuts."

We especially like the inset photo of FBIAA President Rey Tariche over the U.S. Capitol building, don't you?  Check it out the article here.

FBIAA Press Event Featured in Government Executive Piece

Government Executive covered today's press event and posted a great article about it this afternoon.

The piece, "FBI Agents Worry Criminals Will Have It Easier if Sequestration Continues," draws out the central points our panel of FBIAA leadership made at the National Press Club in DC today.

FBIAA President Rey Tariche is quoted as saying, "Terrorists don’t get furloughed.  Cyber hackers don’t get furloughed.  Gang leaders are not furloughed and it’s not an acceptable thing to furlough active FBI agents because of the risks posed from both terrorist and criminal threats."

The article also quotes FBIAA Vice President Tom O'Connor describing the negative impact cuts can have on the important relationships Agents develop with local law enforcement personnel - "The time to introduce yourself is not at a 9/11 or a Navy Yard event.  You should already know the people you’re working with, have trained with them.  I think that’s something very important we may be missing in the future with these cuts."

The work of Agents may be hampered by these cuts, but, as the article shows, Agents will not be defeated.  Quoting Agent John Fagan of the Baltimore Field Office, "It definitely doesn’t make it any easier for us, but we’re used to these obstacles and it’s something we deal with. We’re going to be there no matter what."

You can read the full article by reporter Eric Katz here.

Bloomberg Article Mentions FBIAA Press Event

A lengthy article published on the Bloomberg site today explains various strategies budget negotiators are using in hopes of avoiding another government shutdown next year.

Our press event today is mentioned partway through the piece.

From the article -

"The FBI Agents Association urged Congress today to head off about $700 million in planned spending cuts in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s $8.3 billion budget for this fiscal year. Such a reduction would require agents to be on furlough for 10 to 15 days, group President Reynaldo Tariche said.

'We believe this will have a drastic effect on active investigations,' Tariche said at a Washington news conference. 'Terrorists don’t get furloughed, cyberhackers don’t get furloughed, gang leaders are not on furlough.'"

You can read the full article here.

FBIAA NEWSMAKER Event at the National Press Club

Here are some photos from today's event at the National Press Club.

If you missed the event, you can see some of the highlights on our Twitter account - @FBIAgentsAssoc with the hash-tag #FBIAANEWSMAKER - or you can download the full audio of the event here.

A poster shows two quotations contained in the Voices from the Field report.

The panel of speakers, all members of the FBIAA Executive Board.

FBIAA President Reynaldo Tariche offers opening remarks to a full room.

Rey looks on as FBIAA Vice-President Tom O'Connor speaks. 

Agent John Fagan from the Baltimore Field Office describes
the impact of budget cuts on the work of Agents.

Agent Mike Howell from the Dallas Field Office explains that Agents
will continue to do their jobs to the best of their abilities despite budget cuts
because of their unwavering dedication to their mission to protect the American people.

Rey stays after the event to answer more questions from reporters.

The group after the event.

FBIAA Voices from the Field Report Mentioned in CAP Blog Post

A lengthy and nuanced analysis of varied Republican opinions on sequestration was posted this week on the Center for American Progress website.

Our Voices from the Field report is referenced as evidence of the damage sequestration is doing to law enforcement initiatives.

Read the full blog post here.