DHS intelligence office halts staff cuts after stakeholder backlash
The pause comes after Nextgov/FCW first reported I&A’s initial plans to shed about 75% of its staff. Both people for this story spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to publicly discuss the update.
In response to earlier reporting, legislators and representatives from law enforcement and Jewish communities encouraged senior Trump officials to rethink the staffing cuts. Democratic lawmakers 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.”
An internal announcement from Acting Undersecretary Daniel Tamburello was sent to staff members of the intelligence agency on Wednesday, said one of the people. Over the last few days, staff within I&A have been circulating letters from law enforcement groups alarmed by the plans, hoping to use them as leverage to fend off the reductions, the second person said.
The expected reductions have drawn major concerns from stakeholder groups who have long relied on I&A to send them timely threat information.
For years, both intelligence insiders and outside experts have maintained that I&A needs major restructuring to operate more effectively and protect against domestic overreach. But the deep cuts put on the table, which would leave the unit with under 300 staff, appear to be putting the office at odds with the communities it serves.
It’s not clear how long the pause would last or if the intelligence unit is rethinking the cuts altogether. The initial plan to reduce I&A staff aligns with broader Trump White House priorities to downsize the federal government and reduce what’s been widely viewed as bloat and spending waste.
Some groups have aimed to find compromises. On Monday, the Secure Community Network — which coordinates security for Jewish institutions like synagogues, schools and community centers — sent Noem a letter “to offer several recommendations that would greatly enhance the value proposition of I&A … while advancing the administration’s objectives of efficiency and effectiveness across the federal government.” A copy was sent to Nextgov/FCW.
DHS did not return a request for comment. A spokesperson for the agency previously said that DHS leads have “identified redundant positions and non-critical programs” inside I&A and that the homeland security agency “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.”
I&A is one of 18 units in the U.S. intelligence community and one of two housed under DHS, the other being Coast Guard Intelligence. The intel office was assembled shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks to disseminate threat information to state, local, tribal and territorial governments across the country.
The lesser-known intelligence bureau has faced controversy for alleged unchecked domestic surveillance. During the 2020 George Floyd protests, I&A analysts collected data on journalists and demonstrators in Portland, which sparked vast internal oversight and led to the removal of a top official.
A separate congressional investigation after the January 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riots said I&A and the FBI received numerous tips about online posts threatening violence at the site of the day’s events, but that such intel was not acted upon.
The intelligence community, including top offices like the National Security Agency and Central Intelligence Agency, have been targeted for workforce reductions under President Donald Trump’s second term. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in DHS has also been marked for downsizing.
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