The Trump administration dismantled or significantly reduced the size and capability of organizations like CISA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the State Department that identified foreign influence efforts.
Posted by Deadline: White House, Checked
- Sources
- 5 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Deadline: White HouseOct 22, 2026
Multiple independent reliable sources (Snopes, AP, CNN, Seattle Times, and ODNI's own transparency page) document that the Trump administration cut staff and shut down or downsized the CISA election-security work, the ODNI Foreign Malign Influence Center, and the State Department's foreign disinformation hub (CFIMI).
What was said
… There were organizations like CISA inside the Department of Homeland Security. There were dedicated units in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the State Department who would identify and call out those efforts. Needless to say, the Trump administration has dismantled or significantly reduced the size and capability of those organizations, but, at the end of the day, the responsibility, Nicole, really relies with the citizenry of the country. You know, and I see this all the time in politics. …
Deadline: White House · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Snopes reports the administration put numerous CISA employees on administrative leave, nearly one-third of CISA staff resigned by April 2025, and the State Department shut down its foreign disinformation monitoring hub (CFIMI).[1]
Supports. CNN reports the administration shut down foreign-influence-focused centers at ODNI, the FBI and the State Department, and slashed DHS election security teams.[4]
Supports. ODNI's own transparency page states it launched ODNI 2.0, cutting the workforce by 40%, and refocused the Foreign Malign Influence Center, confirming reduction at the ODNI body.[3]
Supports. The Seattle Times reports CISA lost around a third of its workforce and that ODNI under Tulsi Gabbard gutted the Foreign Malign Influence Center; AP reports sweeping cuts at CISA.[2][5]
Context. Sources describe the reductions as framed by the administration as efficiency and refocusing, while critics characterize them as weakening election security; this framing dispute does not change the factual reduction.[3][6]
Sources
6 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 2 not rated
- 1How Trump policies align with Project 2025 on immigration, federal reform and moresnopes.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Dismantling of federal efforts to monitor election interference creates opening for foreign meddlingapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 3Transparency - Office of the Director of National Intelligenceodni.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 4Secret US cyber operations shielded 2024 election from foreign trolls, but now the Trump admin has gutted protections | CNN Politicscnn.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 5Trump has systematically dismantled election security efforts. Here's ...seattletimes.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 6Trump officials abandon effort to investigate election threats, experts warnuk.news.yahoo.com · not rated · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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