DHS joins intelligence rotation program with no public oversight

What it does

This bill amends the Homeland Security Act to require all DHS intelligence components to participate in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's (ODNI) Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program. The program enables civilian intelligence professionals to rotate between agencies, building cross-agency expertise and coordination. The bill mandates DHS participation according to ODNI policies, with no new funding or enforcement mechanism specified.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward mandate requiring DHS intelligence components to participate in an existing interagency rotation program. It is a procedural/administrative measure designed to increase personnel mobility and coordination within the intelligence community.

What the text implies

• The bill does not specify funding, staffing levels, or implementation timelines, leaving operational details to ODNI discretion without congressional oversight.
• Mandatory participation in ODNI's program may increase DHS personnel absences from their home agencies during rotations, potentially affecting operational capacity.
• The bill references 'policies established by the Director of National Intelligence' without requiring those policies to be published or subject to public review.
• No provisions address how rotational assignments interact with security clearances, classified information handling, or civil liberties safeguards across different agencies.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill promotes interagency coordination and professional development in intelligence work, which may improve government effectiveness and reduce intelligence failures. However, the bill contains no transparency provisions, oversight mechanisms, or public accountability measures for the program's operations, and citizens have no visibility into how rotational assignments affect intelligence activities or civil liberties protections.

Named in the bill

Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), DHS Intelligence Enterprise, Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program, Homeland Security Act of 2002

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Republicans.

• Mar 18, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 18, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Homeland Security and Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security”
• Mar 25, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Sep 3, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 22 - 0”
• Nov 17, 2025 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4680)”
• Nov 17, 2025 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Garbarino moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $240,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 99 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Ryan Mackenzie, the sponsor, reported $1,066,117 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Fdd Action — $240,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.