The Trump administration’s plans to terminate most employees inside the Department of Homeland Security’s main intelligence office are facing a flurry of pushback from members of Congress and stakeholder organizations, including members of the law enforcement community, according to letters first seen by Nextgov/FCW.
The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is planning to reduce its staffing by around 75%, cutting its workforce from some 1,000 full-time employees to 275, Nextgov/FCW first reported on July 1, citing multiple people familiar with the matter.
The unit is one of 18 agencies in the U.S. intelligence community and one of two housed under DHS. The expected reductions have drawn major concerns from organizations that have long relied on I&A to disseminate timely threat information to local law enforcement leaders and other community groups.
The written concerns also come as DHS has issued recent notices warning of a heightened threat environment stemming from recent U.S. military engagements with Iran, as well as a late June DHS and FBI bulletin warning of potential terror attacks leading into the July 4 holiday.
Lawmakers from both the House and Senate told DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to not take “this drastic and unilateral step and instead to consult with Congress about alternative ways to make I&A as effective and efficient as possible,” according to a Wednesday missive.
“At a time when DHS is rightly warning about an elevated threat environment from terrorists and cartels, we should be focused on plugging security gaps rather than senselessly creating new ones,” wrote Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Jim Himes, D-Conn., and Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the respective minority leaders on the House Homeland Security Committee, House Intelligence Committee and Senate Homeland Security Committee.
Three Jewish organizations also said that slashing the I&A office could put the Jewish community in danger.
I&A’s role “has never been more important” amid recent attacks that targeted the community on American soil, said the letter, which was undersigned by the Anti-Defamation League, Secure Community Network and American Jewish Committee.
“It is with that backdrop that we are deeply concerned that any wholesale changes to the operations of I&A will have an adverse effect on countering antisemitism and ensuring the safety of the Jewish community in the United States,” said their letter, addressed to the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate’s homeland security and intelligence panels.
“As Jewish organizations committed to working with our law enforcement partners and protecting our community from rising threats, we rely on I&A to provide accurate and timely updates on behalf of the intelligence community to inform efforts for our community’s safety and security,” it adds. “We strongly urge you to continue to support I&A’s authorized mission and ensure any changes will not put our communities at further risk.”
State and local law enforcement associations also expressed concerns in a separate Wednesday notice.
“At a time when the threat environment is escalating — ranging from terrorism and transnational crime to cyberattacks on critical infrastructure — the need for strong, two-way coordination has never been more urgent,” it reads. “Decisions that affect I&A’s operational capacity must be approached with transparency and collaboration, or we risk creating avoidable gaps in information sharing and coordination necessary for effective threat prevention.”
The message was signed by the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the Major County Sheriffs of America, and the National Fusion Center Association.
It adds: “We respectfully urge DHS to engage directly with state and local law enforcement leaders, fusion center directors, and national public safety associations before moving forward with any workforce or structural changes to I&A.”
I&A was formed in the early days of the Department of Homeland Security when officials sought to better coordinate responses between the intelligence community and state and local law enforcement. In recent years, the intelligence bureau has faced a litany of scrutiny over allegations of unchecked domestic surveillance and ineffectiveness.
But the planned I&A reductions appear to be more fueled by broader Trump White House priorities to decrease the overall size of the federal government and reduce perceived bloat and spending waste.
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we focused on getting the Department of Homeland Security back to its core mission of prioritizing American safety and enforcing our laws,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “DHS component leads have identified redundant positions and non-critical programs within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.”
The statement adds: “The Department is actively working to identify other wasteful positions and programs that do not align with DHS’s mission to prioritize American safety and enforce our laws.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence — Gabbard’s office that oversees the U.S. government’s intelligence policy and programs — did not return a request for comment.
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