A top Republican senator, Senator Tom Cotton from Arkansas, is advocating for a significant restructuring of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). This proposed change aims to drastically reduce the workforce of the ODNI, which has seen considerable growth since its establishment in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.
According to a senior Senate aide familiar with the legislation, Senator Cotton's bill suggests capping the ODNI's staff at approximately 650 employees, a sharp decline from its current workforce of around 1,600. Previously, the ODNI had about 2,000 employees as of January. Under the leadership of National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, the agency has already implemented a workforce reduction of about 20%, aligning with the Trump administration's broader initiative to shrink the federal workforce.
This proposed reduction could potentially diminish Gabbard's influence within the intelligence community, particularly as she seems to have lost favor with the White House. The Senate staffer, who requested anonymity, indicated that Cotton and several Republican senators have been formulating this reform for several months, predating Gabbard's appointment.
While Senator Cotton declined to provide comments regarding his proposal, an ODNI official mentioned that Gabbard and her team have been actively engaging with congressional staff about extensive reforms and potential cuts at the agency. “All parties are interested in advancing reforms that refocus ODNI on its core, national security mission,” the official stated. Although the official refrained from directly addressing Cotton's bill, they emphasized that Gabbard has comprehensive plans to enhance the efficiency of the ODNI, with further announcements anticipated soon.
“Find another agency that has managed to reduce 25% of their workforce in just four months, save millions in taxpayer dollars, and create organization-wide reform plans that serve as a model for all Intelligence Community elements,” the official remarked, highlighting Gabbard's efforts.
Despite bipartisan discussions regarding the need for ODNI reform, it remains uncertain whether Cotton's bill will garner enough support to advance or receive backing from the Trump administration. Recently, senior officials from the Trump administration conducted a classified briefing regarding U.S. airstrikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Notably, Gabbard did not participate in this briefing, which included high-ranking officials such as CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Reports indicate that President Donald Trump has sidelined Gabbard in recent months, although her allies, including former Democratic congresspersons, argue that the perceived tension with the White House may be exaggerated.
Established following the 9/11 attacks, the ODNI was created to address critical failures in information sharing among intelligence agencies, which had dire consequences. The agency was tasked with overseeing the 18 intelligence services in the U.S., including the CIA, and managing bureaucratic conflicts that often arose from the complex nature of operations outside Washington, D.C.
What began as a modest office under the national intelligence director in 2005 has expanded over the last two decades to incorporate in-house analysis teams and specialized centers focused on counterterrorism and counterintelligence. Senator Cotton has characterized the ODNI as a “bloated bureaucracy” that strayed from its original mission of coordinating the efforts of other spy agencies, rather than duplicating their work.
“Congress did not intend for another unwieldy bureaucracy to be layered on top of an already complex intelligence community,” Cotton stated during Gabbard’s confirmation hearing in January. Gabbard has publicly supported the idea of downsizing the ODNI's workforce, committing to collaborate with Cotton and other lawmakers to eliminate redundancies.
The legislation, titled the Intelligence Community Efficiency and Effectiveness Act, proposes a series of significant changes. Among these changes, a counterterrorism center would be transitioned to the FBI, while a center focused on proliferation and biosecurity would shift to the CIA. The ODNI’s National Intelligence Council, which currently oversees analysis across U.S. spy agencies, would cease drafting intelligence analyses and instead coordinate reports prepared by other elements within the intelligence community.
Additionally, the ODNI would eliminate specific “centers” dedicated to particular threats or topics, including a climate security advisory council. The Foreign Malign Influence Center, responsible for monitoring efforts by adversaries such as Russia to interfere in U.S. elections, would also be disbanded. According to the Senate staffer, many employees affected by these cuts would likely return to their original agencies within the intelligence community, while approximately 650 top performers would remain at the ODNI.
