Gabbard sets up DOGE-style team to weed out ‘weaponization' in national intelligence
U.S. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard has reportedly set up her own DOGE-like group to cut costs and investigate "weaponization" in the 18 agencies under her authority, according to a new report.
Gabbard's Director's Initiatives Group was established in adherence to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump to "bring about transparency and accountability" in the U.S.'s intelligence agencies, according to a press release from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which was released on Tuesday.
'We are already identifying wasteful spending in real time, streamlining outdated processes, reviewing documents for declassification, and leading ongoing efforts to root out abuses of power and politicization,' the release said.
An official familiar with the situation told the Washington Post that the group was made up of 10 people from outside of the intelligence agencies who has been vetted by the White House.
The move comes two weeks after Gabbard told Congress that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency had not pursued layoffs or program cuts in the ODNI. Gabbard's new group appears to be tasked, in part, with carrying out similar cost-cutting actions within the intelligence community.
Members of Gabbard's group have apparently been working at the ODNI's headquarters in McLean, Virginia, since February, according to the sources who spoke to the Post.
Gabbard and Senator Tom Cotton — who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee — both said they want to slash costs at the ODNI, which employs approximately 2,000 people.
Though cuts may save some money, a significant portion of the $106bn allocated to U.S. spy agencies pay for resources like satellites and other high-end technology, in addition to difficult to cut staff like CIA case officers and analysts.
Members of the DIG have reportedly been tasked with also reviewing documents for possible declassification, including information related to the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. investigations into Russia's attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election, and Havana Syndrome, according to the ODNI.
At least 100 ODNI workers have opted to take an early resignation deal ahead of the DIG's actions.
According to the sources who spoke to the Post, at least 45 intelligence workers have resigned specifically because they fear they won't be able to do their jobs effectively under Gabbard and Trump's leadership.
'They don't believe they can continue to carry out the core mission of keeping the nation safe, under these circumstances,' the source reportedly said.
Gabbard has long been a critic of U.S. intelligence agencies, often implying that they were politicized. Her prior comments have reportedly contributed to the exodus of intelligence workers.
'People aren't skeptical of her because she's calling for more efficiency in the structure,' a former official told the Post. 'They're skeptical of her over what positions she has taken over many years now.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
23 minutes ago
- Axios
Democrats target farmers on Trump's DOGE cuts
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will hold a "shadow hearing" Thursday to draw a direct link between President Trump's plans to cut foreign assistance and the farmers that sell their crops to the programs. Why it matters: Democrats are looking for ways to make Trump's DOGE and budget plans uncomfortable for farm state Republicans and want to appeal directly to their constituents. The Trump administration has called for deep spending reductions for international food programs run by the United States Agency for International Development and the Department of Agriculture. Those programs buy agricultural products from U.S. farmers to the tune of $2 billion a year, according to Shaheen. Some farm state Republicans have questioned administration st officials about programs like Food for Peace. Zoom out: Democrats are trying to broaden their case against the Trump administration's budget, which will receive its first official vote this week, when the House brings up Trump's rescissions package, which cuts funding for NPR, PBS and USAID. Zoom in: On Thursday, Shaheen, the ranking member on the foreign relations committee, and Klobuchar, the ranking member of the agriculture subcommittee on nutrition and forestry will host a group of experts to detail the effect of the cuts to foreign aid on U.S. farmers.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
GOP lawmakers uneasy about package to codify DOGE cuts ahead of House vote this week
Multiple Republican lawmakers are voicing concerns about backing a high-profile measure later this week to codify Elon Musk's DOGE cuts – raising questions about whether it can pass the House at all. Two Republicans – Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Nicole Malliotakis of New York – separately told CNN they have concerns with the White House's push to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. 'Still mulling,' Amodei said when asked if he would support the package of cuts. 'The impact on local PBS stations appears to be significant.' Other Republicans have heartburn about how it could cut the Bush-era program, PEPFAR, devoted to fighting HIV and AIDS globally. 'If it cuts PEPFAR like they're saying it is, that's not good,' GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska told CNN last week. House GOP leaders plan to put the package of cuts, totaling $9.4 billion, on the floor as soon as Thursday, according to two people familiar with the plans. But Speaker Mike Johnson will need near unanimity in his conference for the package to pass the House, where he can only lose three votes. Johnson said on Monday that he's 'working on' getting enough votes for the Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts package he hopes to bring to the floor this week. 'The only concern I heard initially was some wanted a little more specificity and detail on what was in the package,' Johnson continued. Asked how he would persuade members that wanted more specificity in the package, Johnson replied, 'I'm gathering up all their questions and we'll try to get them all answered. I mean, that's what we do in every piece of legislation.' If it can survive the House, it will face major obstacles in the Senate. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told CNN on Monday that she has major misgivings about the global health cuts, including PEPFAR. 'I think we can change it. We're still figuring out what the set rules are,' Collins said. The White House sent its long-awaited spending cuts request to Congress as it seeks to formalize a slew of DOGE slashes to federal funding. The $9.4 billion package – known as 'rescissions' on Capitol Hill – would claw back previously appropriated government funding. The move to cancel the funding through Congress would insulate the administration from legal challenges related to its cuts to federal funding. Johnson said on Monday, 'We'd like to do multiple rescissions packages, and this first one I'm sure will be successful.' This initial request, however, is far more limited in scope than the more than $1 trillion in spending cuts that DOGE has promised. The lengthy time it took the White House to send over a first round of cuts underscores the uphill battle for even a Republican-led Congress to codify DOGE's work. CNN's Molly English contributed to this report.
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Ed Miliband turns to nuclear power as blackout fears rise
Ed Miliband is to pump billions of pounds into a nuclear power renaissance to keep Britain's lights on. The Energy Secretary will on Tuesday commit £14.2bn to building two giant reactors at Sizewell, Suffolk, capable of providing 6m homes with electricity regardless of low winds and dark winter days. The heavy investment comes as fears rise that Mr Miliband's rush to build wind and solar farms is leaving the grid too exposed to the weather and vulnerable to outages. Over-reliance on intermittent renewables could even threaten blackouts of the kind that hit Spain in April, say experts. Nuclear generation is a reliable source of so-called baseload power, the minimum amount of demand on the grid. Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Miliband said the announcement marked a new 'golden age' for the British nuclear industry. He said: 'This challenge of energy security and the demands of the climate crisis mean that it is in our interests to shift as fast as possible to clean, home-grown power. 'The demand for that power is expected to at least double by 2050. That's why we need all the clean, home-grown sources that we can to meet the demands we face. New nuclear is a crucial source of firm, baseload power.' The money is in addition to the £3.6bn pledged by the previous Conservative government. It means Sizewell C is to receive a total of £17.8bn in public money between 2022 and 2029, with more to follow. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor is set to confirm the funding at the GMB Congress later on Tuesday ahead of the Government's spending review. Ms Reeves is to hand out £300bn more in public spending than was proposed by the Tories, following a record £40bn tax raid last year. The NHS is expected to receive an additional £30bn, meaning it will be among the biggest winners. An extra £113bn is also earmarked for infrastructure projects. However, day-to-day spending will be squeezed, with a real terms rise of 1.2pc in the next three years – down from 2.5pc in the last two years. Unprotected departments will face real terms cuts. A post-Brexit farming fund is expected to be reduced in size. There have also been clashes over police funding and social housing. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, became the last Cabinet minister to settle with the Treasury on Monday, following heated discussions that sources said had raised fears she might resign. As well as billions for Sizewell C, it is also expected that one of Europe's first programmes building small modular reactors (SMRs) will be confirmed. Partly built on production lines by engineering giants including Rolls-Royce, it is hoped these smaller and much cheaper nuclear power stations will allow Britain to more quickly replace the older plants that must be decommissioned in the coming years. Taxpayers will also contribute £2.5bn to a five-year investment in fusion research, which aims to unlock the nuclear reaction which powers the sun as a source of clean and cheap power on Earth. Nuclear power is seen as increasingly vital to protect Britain's power grids after the shutdowns of all its coal-fired power stations and the looming closures of many of the nation's 35 or so large gas-fired power stations. Such traditional 'thermal' power stations generate electricity by making steam that spins turbines. The rotating masses of metal are vital to stabilise the voltage and frequency of the power supplied to the grid – which is highly sensitive to even tiny fluctuations. In the UK, however, nuclear has always proved to be far more expensive than other sources of electricity. This is why, despite the UK opening the world's first commercial nuclear power station in the 1950s, no new nuclear plant has opened in the UK since 1995, with all of the existing fleet except Sizewell B likely to be phased out by the early 2030s. Energy analyst Kathryn Porter warned the UK was committing itself to an outdated and expensive reactor design at Sizewell C. She said: 'It's hard to imagine a 'golden age' of nuclear power with EDF's outdated and troubled reactor design. EDF in France is already looking to the next generation – building another of these older versions is a retrograde step. 'It's also highly unlikely that Sizewell C would be built faster than Hinkley given the lengthening of supply chains.' The costs for Hinkley Point C, under construction in Somerset, have risen from around £20bn to at least £42bn with some experts warning the final bill will come close to £50bn when it starts operating around 2031. Such unpredictable construction costs have made it difficult for the Government to find any companies willing to invest in Sizewell C. EDF, the French state energy company which is building Hinkley, has progressively reduced its stake in Sizewell C leaving the Government holding 84pc. Officials have been seeking foreign state investment including from the United Arab Emirates. Mr Miliband still refuses to divulge the estimated final cost of Sizewell C and negotiations with prospective partners are thought to still be under way. The best estimates to date suggest the power station will cost about £40bn. The money will come initially from the Treasury but it and other investors will recover the construction costs via a new levy, known as the Regulated Asset Base, to be added to consumer and business energy bills. The Government has claimed that this will initially cost only £12 per household per year, but experts say this would raise far less than needed – so the amounts are likely to increase, driving up energy bills. Andrew Bowie, Conservative shadow energy spokesman, said nuclear power offered a reliable and continuous source of electricity essential to balance the intermittency of renewables like wind and solar. 'We need to move to a lower-carbon electricity system that includes wind and solar. 'But we do not have the electricity storage capacity needed for times when the wind doesn't blow and the sun doesn't shine. Nuclear will give us reliable baseload electricity to stabilise the system.' Richard Tice, Reform's energy spokesman, was also broadly supportive but criticised Mr Miliband for delays around commissioning SMRs as well. 'We need to accelerate our nuclear plans, but why is the Government being so slow to progress cheaper SMRs that can be delivered faster?' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
