FBI Agents Association Releases Voices from the Field Highlighting Challenges FBI Special Agents are Facing in High Cost of Living Cities
For Immediate Release: June 12, 2024
The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA), representing more than 14,000 active and retired FBI Special Agents, today released Voices from the Field, a collection of personal stories from Agents which demonstrate the challenges that they and their families are facing in high cost of living cities throughout the United States. The report highlights the impact of high costs on the ability of Agents to secure reasonable housing and meet ordinary financial obligations, as well as on Agent recruitment and retention.
“As FBI Agents, we dedicate our lives to protecting our country,” said Natalie Bara, President of the FBIAA. “The high cost of living in many major cities affects our work today as well as our ability to recruit and retain the talented people we need. Our latest membership survey found nearly 70% of Agents assigned to high-cost areas find it difficult to live in their current location with their current salary. The personal anecdotes in Voices from the Field illustrate the real challenges Agents face due to financial pressures, and the ripple effects of those challenges for national security.”
FBI Special Agents are subject to nationwide assignment and have little control over where they live. Skyrocketing housing costs have made many American cities increasingly unaffordable. For Agents assigned to high cost of living cities, FBI salaries often fall significantly short of what they need to support their families. In some cases, Agent salaries are even below “very-low-income-limits” set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Voices from the Field details the direct connection between Agent income strain and national security, from the impact on Agents’ ability to demonstrate the financial solvency required for maintaining a security clearance to the reality of Agents living far outside of the city, limiting availability and response time. Further, Voices highlights the risks to recruitment and retention, especially at large field offices in major metropolitan areas who face skilled Agent shortages when experienced personnel seek transfers to lower-cost regions.
“What’s clear is that the financial security of FBI Agents matters, not just for FBI families but also for all of us who depend on the men and women of the FBI to keep us safe,” said Jen Morrow, Vice President of the FBIAA. “By releasing Voices from the Field, we hope to raise awareness among Congress, the Administration and the public about the urgent need to address this issue.”
FBIAA is actively engaged with the Department of Justice, the Bureau and Congress to fund an FBI pilot program that would provide reasonable allowances to alleviate financial pressures on Agents in certain high-cost cities.
This report is the second Voices from the Field report released by FBIAA. In 2019, FBIAA issued its first Voices report to share the stories of FBI Agents facing budget pressures from the government shutdown.
“Voices from the Field is part of FBIAA’s mission to be sure that Agent perspectives are heard as part of the policymaking process,” Bara continued. “Addressing FBI Agent salaries in the context of high costs of living is essential for supporting Agents in completing our missions and protecting the Constitution and the people of our nation.”
Download Voices from the Field from the FBIAA website.
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The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA®) is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 to advance and safeguard the careers, economic interests, conditions of employment, and welfare of active and retired FBI Agents. FBIAA provides support and advocacy to more than 14,000 members through internal advocacy, legal representation, legislative efforts, and financial assistance programs.
