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Many FBI agents are struggling to make ends meet. Housing costs are to blame

FBI agents in high-cost areas can face long commutes and trouble paying the bills. Their advocates are asking for a housing allowance to lighten the load.

The Empire State Building is lit in pastel colors to mark Easter as it stands between the towers of Hudson Yards in New York City on March 31. FBI officials have been looking into the problem since 2021, comparing government compensation scales against the poverty line and analyzing how other federal agencies and private sector employers pay their workers. At the Justice Department, Assistant Attorney General for Administration Jolene Lauria said officials are aware of financial challenges that federal workers face in the field — not just FBI employees, but across other parts of the DOJ as well.

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