Rep. Pfluger's Bill to Strengthen Intelligence Sharing Advances Through Committee on Homeland Security

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, spoke in favor of his legislation, the I&A Mission Reorientation Act of 2026. The legislation was advanced out of the Committee on Homeland Security by a bipartisan vote.

The "I&A Mission Reorientation Act of 2026" would update I&A's statutory responsibility to clearly define its focus, reinforce accountability, and improve operational effectiveness. The legislation would strengthen information sharing with state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) partners.

"The threats to our homeland are evolving, and it is critical that our intelligence posture keeps pace. The I&A Mission Reorientation Act refocused DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis on its core mission to deliver timely, actionable intelligence to state and local partners on the front lines. By strengthening information sharing and expanding our forward-deployed capabilities, this bill will close critical gaps and ensure intelligence flows swiftly to decision-makers on the ground," Chairman Pfluger said on the need for this legislation.

Watch Chairman Pfluger's full remarks in support of the legislation HERE.

Read Rep. Pfluger's remarks below:

Rep Pfluger: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. While it's small and often overlooked, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis carries one of the most operationally important missions of the intelligence community. Of the 18 IC members, I&A is the only agency with a statutory obligation to share intelligence with state, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners. [This is] a responsibility that sits at the core of securing our homeland, and with 1000s of law enforcement agencies across the country, I&A is the most effective when its personnel are embedded with those partners working directly in environments where threats surface, and decisions must be made. The I&A Mission Reorientation Act reflects this fundamental truth. It refocuses its efforts on its foundational responsibility, delivering timely, actionable, and operationally relevant intelligence to the front line. This reorientation is urgently needed. Persistent challenges in the broader information-sharing ecosystem continue to hinder our partners' ability to act quickly. At a roundtable with law enforcement last month, we were reminded that gaps remain in the timelines of threat dissemination and in the interoperability of the federal, state, and local systems. These issues are compounded by uneven information flow between the agencies and fusion centers and partners, and by the need for intelligence products that are tailored to operational realities rather than broad strategic assessments. In recent years, too much of INA's workforce has been concentrated at headquarters, with too few personnel deployed in the field. That shift has weakened the two-way flow of intelligence, leaving our partners too often providing more actionable information upward than they receive in return. Several of the bills we are marking up today aim to correct this imbalance by sharpening the mission, improving training and oversight, and ensuring the agency fully embodies its unique stakeholder-facing role. I seek unanimous consent, Mr. Chairman, to enter a letter from the Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies, Major County Sheriffs of America, and the National Fusion Center Association, dated June 24, 2026, into the record.

Chairman Garbarino: Without objection.

Rep Pfluger: This letter calls out the great work that the committee has done so far to engage with fusion center leaders, state and local law enforcement agencies, and homeland security stakeholders on several pieces of legislation to reform DHS's office of I&A, including six bills that we are voting on today. Meaningful reform to this agency has been a long time coming, and I'm proud to have a bill on today's markup that refocuses their mission where it belongs, to put field personnel back into a position of being supported. There are several other pieces of legislation related to I&A reform that I'm hopeful we will be able to move in a future markup, including field integration of Homeland Security's Intelligence Act, which will codify and reinforce support to those partners in two-way information sharing that is so critical to Homeland Security. The work is especially important now as we see the World Cup and the 250th anniversary of our country taking place. There are massive crowds and an increased risk all across the country, and field officers are the ones who make the security of our country possible. They build and sustain trusted human networks and serve as the local face of intelligence sharing, and provide a subnational context that headquarters simply cannot replicate. Emerging technologies, including drones, artificial intelligence, and others, are being rapidly exploited, and we have to find a way to combat those threats. Meeting this moment demands seamless coordination across jurisdictions, real-time intelligence sharing, and strong regional partnerships capable of rapid prevention and response. To achieve that, I&A must be structurally aligned with its mission, and that's what this bill does. It appropriately advances the reorientation [of I&A]. Mister Chairman, I'd also say that this has been a bipartisan work, that we have come together with many roundtables and discussions, and I thank my colleagues for that work. I especially want to thank Representative Fedorchak and Ranking Member Magaziner, and Representative Pou, for their partnership in advancing this legislation. I yield back.