Gabbard slashing intelligence office workforce and cutting budget by over $700 million

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 6:56 PM EDT, August 20, 2025


WASHINGTON (AP) — The Office of the Director of National Intelligence will dramatically reduce its workforce and cut its budget by more than $700 million annually, the Trump administration announced Wednesday.

The move amounts to a major downsizing of the office responsible for coordinating the work of 18 intelligence agencies, including on counterterrorism and counterintelligence, as President Donald Trump has tangled with assessments from the intelligence community.

His administration also this week has revoked the security clearances of dozens of former and current officials, while last month declassifying documents meant to call into question long-settled judgments about Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

“Over the last 20 years, ODNI has become bloated and inefficient, and the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence,” Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, said in a statement announcing a more than 40% workforce reduction. She added: “Ending the weaponization of intelligence and holding bad actors accountable are essential to begin to earn the American people’s trust which has long been eroded.”

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/gabbard-intelligence-cuts-trump-e982e5364481d41a058e2bd78be4060f

[msongs]

1. replace the staff with russian agents, they work cheap and will be glad to get out of moscow nt

[SharonAnn]

9. What could go wrong? What could possibly go wrong?

[nycbos]

2. Trump is making us the "cheese eating surrender monkeys.:

[Irish_Dem]

3. The US is a Russian colony now.

No need for American intel agencies.

[DJ Synikus Makisimus]

4. The GOP is united against intelligence

of any kind. So it makes sense.

[mdbl]

5. Might as well remove "Intelligence" from the agency title

There is no intelligent life running the place. It's probably going to become a wing of the old KGB.

[TygrBright]

6. Now we know what Pootie's recent orders in Alaska were... n/t

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

7. Making Putin's work easier

[oasis]

8. Tulsi makes bid to become America's #1 traitor.

[3825-87867]

10. Gee Wally, that 700 million should feed a lot of poor people...

Aw Beav, you just listen to Fox too much. That money is going to Trump and his business friends.
Bu...but Wally, isn't that illegal?
Well, who do you think will do anything about it, Beav, the Democrats?
Gee Wally, I guess Chuck could write a very concernd letter!
C'mon Beav, let's go play catch while the adults try to agree on what to really do. The season's young!
OK, Wally. Boy! I can't wait to grow up to be able to vote!
Don't worry, Beav. Trump said we won't have to vote again! Got your glove?

[FakeNoose]

11. So ... she laid herself off? Or maybe she cancelled her own paycheck?

[markodochartaigh]

12. Ha

"...the intelligence community is rife with abuse of power, unauthorized leaks of classified intelligence, and politicized weaponization of intelligence..."

I'm going to rent a Republican and show a Star Trek movie with the moon as the screen. The picture will be crystal clear, Republican projection is amazing.

[vapor2]

13. Everything Russian

[Diraven]

14. Basically we don't need to spy on Russia anymore

Because Trump just believes everything Putin tells him instead of our own intelligence. That's where the cuts will be.