Tulsi Gabbard Ends Intelligence Reform Task Force After Less Than a Year

The Director of National Intelligence says the group's work was always intended to be temporary.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard announced she is ending the work of a task force she created last year to reform the U.S. intelligence community, including efforts to root out the perceived politicization of intelligence gathering. Gabbard said the task force's work was always meant to be temporary after she was tapped to oversee coordination of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.

Why it matters

Gabbard's move to end the task force has drawn criticism from Democrats and some intelligence insiders, who raised concerns that it could be used to undermine intelligence agencies and bring them under tighter control of former President Donald Trump. The task force's work has been seen as part of Gabbard's broader efforts to reshape the intelligence community since taking over as Director of National Intelligence.

The details

The task force was established in April 2025 with the goal of reforming the intelligence community, reducing spending, and examining whether high-profile reports such as those on COVID-19 should be declassified. Gabbard said the group has brought 'a historic level of transparency' to the intelligence community in less than a year. The identities and number of officers assigned to the task force are classified. Those officers will now return to other intelligence agencies to continue the work the group started.

  • The task force was established in April 2025.
  • Gabbard announced the end of the task force's work in February 2026.

The players

Tulsi Gabbard

The Director of National Intelligence who established and is now ending the work of the intelligence reform task force.

Mark Warner

A Democratic U.S. Senator and Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who criticized the task force as a 'pass for a witch hunt' designed to target intelligence officers deemed disloyal to former President Trump.

Donald Trump

The former U.S. President, whose claims about alleged interference in the 2016 and 2020 elections Gabbard has used intelligence agencies to back up since taking over as Director of National Intelligence.

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What they’re saying

“In less than one year, we've brought a historic level of transparency to the intelligence community. My commitment to transparency, truth, and eliminating politicization and weaponization within the intelligence community remains central to all that we do.”

— Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence (nypost.com)

“This seems to be just a pass for a witch hunt and that's going to further undermine our national security.”

— Mark Warner, U.S. Senator and Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee (Reuters)

What’s next

The officers assigned to the task force will now return to other intelligence agencies to continue the work the group started.

The takeaway

Gabbard's decision to end the intelligence reform task force after less than a year has raised concerns about her efforts to reshape the intelligence community, including allegations that she is working to undermine agencies and bring them under tighter control of the former president. The move is part of Gabbard's broader changes since taking over as Director of National Intelligence.