Senate Democrats have released a report detailing significant staffing shortages within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), particularly concerning counterterrorism and election security roles. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee, stated that counterterrorism infrastructure has been "basically eviscerated" and that these cuts make Americans less safe.
The report focuses on the DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis, which reportedly has 300 unfilled vacancies. It also alleges that this office, along with other parts of the intelligence community, has faced pressure to align its analyses with the president's priorities regarding leftist extremist groups.
Furthermore, the report details the impact of staff reductions at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an agency that has seen major staff cuts and voluntary departures. Although CISA is reportedly prioritizing hiring for election security, the agency informed the Senate Homeland Security committee that no new staff will be in place before the November midterm elections. CISA also acknowledged it has not conducted a "gap analysis" to assess risks after discontinuing a program that funded state-level election security infrastructure efforts in October 2025.
Democrats have repeatedly highlighted a perceived lack of transparency from DHS regarding its staffing reallocations, noting that the agency did not specify what constituted staffing contributions to ICE efforts when providing data in September 2025 and has not since provided updated figures.