Headline Roundup • August 20th, 2025
Office of the Director of National Intelligence to Cut Workforce by 40%
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is decreasing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) by 40%.
The Details: The ODNI plans to shrink its workforce from about 2,000 in February to 1,300, according to a senior ODNI official. According to an ODNI fact sheet, the plan would cut or consolidate ODNI centers that track foreign influence, weapons of mass destruction, and cyber threats. Gabbard’s office estimated the move will save $700 million a year. The fact sheet said ODNI has grown bloated and strayed from its mission, with the intelligence community “plagued with unauthorized intelligence leaks, politicization, and weaponization of intelligence.”
For Context: The ODNI was created in 2005 after the 9/11 attacks. It coordinates 18 different agencies that make up the US intelligence community, and helps oversee budgets, set priorities, and ensures information and analysis are shared with the president and policymakers. The total budget for all US intelligence agencies exceeded $100 billion last year, according to the fact sheet.
How the Media Covered It: Daily Mail (Right bias) quoted several senior ODNI officials who said the overhaul was “long overdue” and allows the agency to “sunset outdated projects and focus on priorities.” CBS News (Lean Left) quoted Sen. Mark Warner, who criticized Gabbard’s approach, saying her record raises concerns about her ability to oversee ODNI reforms. It also noted her actions since becoming National Intelligence Director, including revoking security clearances, declassifying Russia-related documents, and reviving disputes over the 2016 election. The Hill (Center) noted that ODNI accused the Foreign Malign Influence Center of “falsely alleging Putin ‘aspired’ to help President Trump win the 2016 election” and quoted a national security lawyer who said the restructuring was “a clear effort to cut staff members who might push back against the Trump administration.”
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Photo from CBS News
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is slashing her office's staff by around 40% — the latest major Trump-era change slated for the intelligence agency.
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America's top spy agency announced it will 'rightsize' its overall footprint by cutting almost half of all its employees after President Donald Trump directed that members the 'deep state' be rooted out.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard plans to slash 40 percent of the agency’s staff by October in a move she said would help transform the head of the intelligence community into “ODNI 2.0.”
