cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/50189081
The House Intelligence Committee privately considered adding a measure to the annual intelligence community authorization bill that would have significantly curtailed the size and scope of the Department of Homeland Security’s core spy agency, according to three people familiar with the matter and a summary of the drafted measure viewed by Nextgov/FCW.
All three sources requested anonymity because they were not permitted to discuss closed-door deliberations about the measure.
The statute — ultimately yanked from the final House draft of the Intelligence Authorization Act — would have prohibited the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis from both collecting and analyzing intelligence, according to two of the people and the draft summary. The measure also would have renamed it as the Office of Intelligence and Information Sharing and reduced its workforce from around 1,000 employees to no more than 250.
The development, which has not been previously reported, highlights that Congress was weighing major overhauls for the lesser-known DHS spy bureau amid recent administration efforts to shed the office’s staffing count, and it adds a chapter to a storied history of debates over how to best reform the agency.
The proposed changes are notable because the measure would have effectively recast the DHS office as a clearinghouse for findings produced elsewhere in the intelligence community, stripping it of common authorities granted to other spy agencies who routinely collect and analyze information on threats concerning U.S. interests.
“The goal [of I&A] was straightforward: provide governors, mayors, police chiefs, transportation officials and emergency managers with intelligence-driven guidance — rooted in the full range of classified and unclassified reporting — to help them make long-term decisions. How much should a city invest in physical security? Does a state need new legal authorities? What training or equipment should local law enforcement prioritize?” Cash said. “No other federal entity is structured to deliver this kind of strategic, locally tailored intelligence support.”
I&A’s collection practices have always been a separate and more sensitive issue, he contended.
“It has never been clear that its domestic collection authorities could be exercised meaningfully without pushing into areas that raise profound civil-liberties and constitutional concerns. That is why, across multiple administrations — starting with President George W. Bush — there was sustained attention to guardrails, oversight mechanisms and a clear understanding that DHS intelligence activities must not evolve into a national-level domestic surveillance service.”
I’m not sure if I’m missing something here, because on the one hand, Democrats have opposed Trump’s previous cuts to this office as well as cuts to office of DHS Office of Civil Rights and Liberties (CRCL).
March 2025: Homeland Security makes cuts to offices overseeing civil rights protections
However, in July, the Trump administration started pushing for cuts to this office.
Law enforcement groups sound alarm over potential DHS intel rollback
On the one hand, it seems like Trump and others have been targeting the office for more cuts for a while, and the only other article I can find about this decision by the House committee is a right wing article from the Federalist that seems to indicate displeasure with a bloated budget. “Bloated budget” always rings alarm bells for me in terms of Trump admin propaganda to get rid of bureaucrats who are standing in his way.
Homeland Security’s Bloated ‘Intelligence’ Office Is Costing Taxpayers $348 Million Every Year
Cuts to the office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties were also justified as necessary due to bloated budgets, but you would have to be an idiot to believe this administration could be hemorrhaging money on ICE and federal takeovers while being genuinely concerned about “budget bloat.”
Without the existence of the DHS offices that provide accountability and protection for civil rights and liberties, I’m not sure why it would be a good thing not to reign in DHS intelligence capabilities, but at the same time,
However, I question if the statute, may have actually been a very sneaky and underhanded attempt by the Trump admin to further widdle down and redirect money to ICE operations. I’m honestly not sure how to feel about this.
It would be helpful to get some more information on this rather than knowing that behind closed doors the House committee declined to decrease DHS surveillance capabilities.