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s we move toward the mid-term elections, Congress is debating the fiscal year 2015 budget and other issues important to FBI Agents. Let’s take a look back at the FBIAA’s work over the past year and our priorities for 2014. 2013—Sequestration and Voices from the Field

FBIAA experienced a remarkably busy and successful year in Washington in 2013. The greatest challenge and most pressing issue for FBIAA was the funding of the Bureau by Congress.

After absorbing a substantial funding decrease in FY2013, the Bureau was facing approximately $800 million in additional cuts in FY2014 as a result of sequestration. FBI officials suggested that these steep cuts may force the Bureau in 2014 to furlough Agents from 10 to 17 days and shut down FBI headquarters and offices across the country for 10 days. In addition, in the middle of the debates over the budget, Congress was unable to come to a short-term agreement to fund the government. The result was a government shut-down that delayed Agents’ pay and made it more difficult for our members to undertake their work to protect the public.

With your help, the FBIAA influenced the debate over these important funding issues. Our members responded to FBIAA’s call for assistance with real-world accounts from all over the country of the severe impacts they were experiencing as a result of the budget cuts. FBIAA published many of these accounts in a

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report, Voices from the Field. (Members can download the report from the FBIAA website.) FBIAA’s National Executive Board and representatives in Washington used the report to generate national media coverage on the impact of the budget cuts on the Bureau’s operations. FBIAA also held a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington to highlight the report. View photos and listen to the audio of the press conference on the FBIAA blog at: http://fbiaa.blogspot.com/2013/12/fbiaa-newsmaker-event-at-national-press.html. Voices from the Field was a central part of FBIAA’s advocacy campaign on Capitol Hill, and it was specifically cited by several Senators during floor debates over the budget.

Congress finally passed a budget resolution and appropriations bill in January 2014 that funded the government through FY2014. The bill appropriated funds that allowed the Bureau to avoid furloughs, and as Director James Comey stated in testimony before Congress in March, allows the Bureau “to do more operationally, to hire and train new agents and intelligence analysts, and to backfill vacant positions in our field offices.”

The Bureau may not have received the funds it needed without the dedication of our members. The first-hand accounts by FBIAA members of the practical impact of budget cuts were heard by policymakers on Capitol Hill. The FBIAA appreciates every member who took time away from their busy schedules to share their stories.

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As Director Comey stated in an email to all FBI employees after the appropriation bill was passed, “Our mission and your work have always spoken for themselves, but I am grateful to all members of the broader FBI family for ensuring folks knew the impact we were experiencing from the sequester.”

2014—A Look Forward

This promises to be an interesting and challenging year in Washington. Congress will be forced to do most of its work between May and July because of the mid-term elections. During that time, Congress will need to fund the government through FY2015 and address a range of substantive issues of interest to Agents.

• The FY2015 Budget

Budget battles never really end, they just move on to the next fiscal year. Congress is holding hearings on the FY2015 budget and related appropriations legislation. The appropriations process will accelerate over the next few months.

While it is difficult to predict legislative outcomes with certainty, another government shutdown is unlikely because Congress passed a budget for FY2014 and FY2015 earlier this year that provides an established framework for the appropriators—the type of framework that was missing last year.

FBIAA is continuing to communicate with appropriators and leadership in Congress to ensure that the Bureau is funded at appropriate levels, and to find opportunities to provide more resources and support to Agents where it is needed.

• Restrictions on Investigative Tools

In addition to the budget, Congress is considering important changes to laws affecting

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the investigative tools used by Agents. For example, in the wake of the disclosures made by Edward Snowden, Congress and the White House are considering new restrictions on intelligence gathering and on the use of National Security Letters. Also, the House and Senate continue to push forward on changes to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) that could result in new rules for how Agents are able to use electronic data and information. Just recently, the House passed the USA Freedom Act, which relates to mass data collection. The bill is expected to undergo major changes in the Senate.

The FBIAA continues to be a voice of reason in these discussions, seeking to find the correct balance between privacy and safety. We remain in frequent contact with policymakers about the need to carefully consider the consequences of their acts for criminal and counterterrorism investigations, and working to find ways to craft responsible public policy. FBIAA leadership has also been active in the media in order to explain the work done by Agents, our commitment to the Constitution and the importance of the investigative tools that we employ in our work.

• G-Man Honors: A Salute to FBI Heroes

FBIAA will host its first annual G-Man Honors fundraiser on November 12, 2014 at the W Hotel in Washington, DC. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will keynote the event and receive our first-ever distinguished service award. The event will benefit the Memorial College Education Fund and the Membership Assistance Fund. The event is expected to be well-attended by our members as well as by Members of Congress, policymakers and the business community as

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RISK AVERSE MANAGEMENT AND ESCALATING AUTHORITY LEVELS IN THE FBI By SA Nick Vanicelli

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During the Spring 2014, the FBI Agents Association National Executive Board (FBIAA NEB) and Director Comey discussed the subject of mid level managers (Supervisory Special Agents) and authority levels. The NEB postulated that SSA’s increasingly had less authority to approve routine, everyday things. Examples discussed included small monetary expenditures, search warrant (and other tactical) operations, and personnel matters. Director Comey was receptive and generally recognized that authority levels had crept up over the years. The Director expressed his desire to study the issue and develop plans to reduce authority levels. However, the Director also stated that once an authority level was pushed up, it was very difficult to return it to its previous, lower, level.

The NEB stressed that unless mid level managers were given the authority to make decisions, they would not develop into strong leaders. SSA’s who were unaccustomed to making decisions would develop into ASAC’s, Unit Chiefs, and Section Chiefs that were unwilling and unaccustomed to making the tough decisions. Allowing SSA’s to make decisions and mistakes would help to develop them into the future leaders of the FBI.

The NEB stressed that the current Zero Defect Mentality and Risk Averse Management Philosophy was stifling leadership and innovation within the FBI. While Director Comey generally agreed with these opinions, no apparent solution was forthcoming.

The below excerpts are from previously published articles regarding the Zero Defect Mentality and Risk Averse Management Philosophy. It should be noted they all point out the negative effects that will accrue if the situation continues.

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we call attention to the work done by Agents and raise funds to help support the families of Agents. Sponsorship information is available by emailing FBIAA@FBIAA.org, and we look forward to sharing details with members in the coming months.

Conclusion

Thanks to the commitment of its members, FBIAA has become a leading voice on law enforcement and terrorism issues in Washington. However, as Agents cannot pause in their efforts to protect our country, we must also not pause in our work in Washington. FBIAA will build on the momentum we gained in the past year and continue to work to influence the policy debates in Washington that impact our members. ♦

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