U.S. intelligence sharing has deteriorated under Trump as CIA ends joint assessments and Congress briefings face disruption

Cooperation across the U.S. intelligence community has deteriorated during President Donald Trump’s second term, with the CIA ending some joint assessments and intelligence briefings to Congress temporarily disrupted following U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela, Reuters reported.

Current and former U.S. officials told Reuters that growing tensions between agencies, staffing reductions and concerns about political retaliation have weakened long-standing mechanisms for sharing and assessing intelligence.

One significant change involves the CIA and the National Intelligence Council, which traditionally brings together analysis from across the intelligence community to produce assessments intended to provide policymakers with a broader view of national security threats.

The CIA has stopped participating in some joint assessments with the council, according to Reuters, raising concerns among current and former officials that policymakers could receive a less comprehensive picture of competing intelligence judgments.

Officials also said intelligence reporting to congressional oversight committees was temporarily suspended following U.S. military operations in Iran and Venezuela, further straining relations between intelligence agencies and lawmakers responsible for overseeing their activities.

The changes come amid significant personnel reductions across parts of the U.S. intelligence apparatus and broader efforts by the Trump administration to restructure agencies it has accused of political bias and bureaucratic resistance.

Some officials told Reuters that analysts have become increasingly cautious about producing assessments that could contradict administration positions, fearing professional or political repercussions.

The White House and intelligence officials have defended the administration’s reforms as necessary to eliminate duplication, improve efficiency and ensure intelligence agencies remain focused on their core national security missions.

Critics inside and outside the intelligence community, however, warn that reduced interagency coordination and constrained information flows could leave senior policymakers with an incomplete understanding of threats at a time when the United States is simultaneously managing conflicts and security challenges across several regions.