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.