US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced significant reforms on Wednesday, stating she will reduce her agency’s staff by over 40% by the end of 2025, a move projected to save approximately $700 million. She accused the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) of having become “bloated, inefficient, and full of power abuse.”
In a statement and various social media posts, Gabbard committed to “cutting excessive bureaucracy, removing deep state operatives, and restoring focus to the mission.” Her office released a four-page fact sheet titled “ODNI 2.0,” which outlines staff reductions in areas like intelligence forecasting, cyber threat monitoring, biosecurity, and oversight of weapons proliferation. The Strategic Futures Group was criticized for allegedly violating analytical standards to advance a political agenda, while the Foreign Malign Influence Center was accused of being used by the Biden administration to censor political opposition.
According to her office, Gabbard has already reduced ODNI’s staff by almost 30% since taking office, eliminating more than 500 positions. This week, The New York Times reported that she also revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former national security officials, many of whom worked on Russia-related intelligence or election interference analysis.
Gabbard’s actions are drawing criticism even though multiple criminal and counterintelligence probes from 2019 to 2023 have concluded that Russia interfered in US elections to benefit President Donald Trump. Her detractors argue the cuts undermine national security and highlight her history of controversial statements, including accusations that former President Barack Obama led a “treasonous conspiracy.” Gabbard, 43, has also faced scrutiny for her perceived ties to Vladimir Putin and ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
President Donald Trump campaigned on a promise to shrink the federal government, and Gabbard’s restructuring of the ODNI is part of that larger effort. Similar budget cuts have already impacted US foreign aid and even the Department of Education. The coming months will show how Gabbard’s overhaul affects the intelligence community’s capacity to monitor foreign and cyber threats, as well as global security challenges.
