US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has declared a sweeping overhaul of her agency, announcing plans to cut its staff by over 40% by the end of fiscal year 2025. The move, estimated to save $700 million, was justified by Gabbard’s claim that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has become “bloated and inefficient” and is “rife with abuse of power, unauthorised leaks of classified intelligence and politicised weaponization of intelligence.” In a series of statements, she vowed to cut “bloated bureaucracy” and root out “deep state actors.”
The plan, detailed in a four-page fact sheet, involves significant reductions in the office’s efforts to monitor critical global threats, including biosecurity, weapons of mass destruction proliferation, and cyber intelligence. Specific units, such as the Strategic Futures Group, are being cut after being accused of violating professional standards to “propagate a political agenda.” The Foreign Malign Influence Center, established to combat foreign threats to democracy, was also targeted for allegedly being used by the previous administration to justify “the suppression of free speech.”
The cuts are framed as a continuation of President Donald Trump’s agenda to reduce the federal government, following previous slashes to foreign aid and other agencies. Gabbard’s office stated that ODNI has already been reduced by nearly 30% since she took office, with over 500 staffers removed. The purge extends beyond staffing; a recent report revealed that Gabbard revoked the security clearances of 37 current and former officials, many of whom worked on Russia analysis or election security.
These actions align with Gabbard’s history of controversial statements, including accusing former President Barack Obama of leading a “treasonous conspiracy” regarding Russian election interference. However, her assertions directly contradict the findings of four separate criminal, counterintelligence, and watchdog probes conducted between 2019 and 2023, which all concluded that Russia did interfere in U.S. elections to aid Trump. Gabbard has faced criticism from opponents who accuse her of being too close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
