Elo Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026
The House debated H.R. 7574, the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and submit to Congress a plan to reorganize its Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach (ELO) Office, identify redundant or non-essential positions and functions, and realign essential functions within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, with certain staffing and budget limits applying until the plan is submitted. Republicans, including Representatives Garbarino and Evans, said the bill would cut duplication and improve intelligence sharing among federal, state, and local partners. Representative Walkinshaw, a Democrat, said he supported the bill’s goals for engaging state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement but asked that the department consult Congress before any staff reductions and raised concern that the language on redundancies could be used to cut funding for intelligence work. Republicans responded that they were aligned on the bill’s aims, and members urged its passage.Written by AI from the debate. Updated .
“I want the House to pass this bill. It requires the Department of Homeland Security to reorganize its outreach and liaison office.”
“Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7574) to provide for the reorganization and realignment of the Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7574) to provide for the reorganization and realignment of the Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes the Department of Homeland Security reorganize its outreach offices. This will stop them from doing the same work twice and help them share information better with police and local partners.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 7574, the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026. The Department of Homeland Security’s Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach, or ELO, Office operates as a separate office within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Despite their similar functions, ELO operates separately from I&A’s Partner Engagement directorate, which facilitates information flow and access for State, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. The ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act will require the DHS Secretary to develop a comprehensive plan to reorganize the ELO office and realign it with the work of I&A’s Partner Engagement directorate to streamline operations and eliminate redundancies. This plan must specifically address ways to improve coordination with law enforcement agencies, centralize points of contact, and enhance information sharing. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Evans for his leadership. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 7574, the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026. The Department of Homeland Security’s Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach, or ELO, Office operates as a separate office within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Despite their similar functions, ELO operates separately from I&A’s Partner Engagement directorate, which facilitates information flow and access for State, local, Tribal, and territorial partners. The ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act will require the DHS Secretary to develop a comprehensive plan to reorganize the ELO office and realign it with the work of I&A’s Partner Engagement directorate to streamline operations and eliminate redundancies. This plan must specifically address ways to improve coordination with law enforcement agencies, centralize points of contact, and enhance information sharing. Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Evans for his leadership. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
“This bill reorganizes an office in the Department of Homeland Security so it can work better with local police. It also looks for duplicate jobs to cut. I want the department to talk with Congress before it cuts any workers. Firing staff could hurt our ability to share intelligence and stop cyber attacks.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, engagement with State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement is essential to the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to secure the homeland. State and local law enforcement partners must have clear points of contact within DHS to maximize information sharing and collaboration on issues like emergency and cybersecurity incident response. H.R. 7574 aims to ensure this by directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to realign the functions and personnel within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis’ Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach office. Madam Speaker, while it is important for State and local officials to have clear points of contact at DHS for information sharing and collaboration, H.R. 7574’s requirement to identify redundancies at the Office of Intelligence and Analysis should not, I hope, be viewed as a pretext to reduce I&A’s workforce. I&A is charged with delivering timely and actionable intelligence to our law enforcement on the front lines and unnecessarily slashing their capacity could unintentionally create security gaps and make our communities more vulnerable to cyber terror attacks and other threats. While I understand that H.R. 7574 seeks to improve DHS relationships with law enforcement agencies by establishing clear communication protocols and centralizing points of contact for law enforcement engagement, I urge DHS to consult with Congress on the implementation of this bill and before any staffing changes or reductions are made. We need to strengthen, not undermine I&A’s ability to protect the homeland. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, engagement with State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement is essential to the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to secure the homeland. State and local law enforcement partners must have clear points of contact within DHS to maximize information sharing and collaboration on issues like emergency and cybersecurity incident response. H.R. 7574 aims to ensure this by directing the Secretary of Homeland Security to realign the functions and personnel within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis’ Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach office. Madam Speaker, while it is important for State and local officials to have clear points of contact at DHS for information sharing and collaboration, H.R. 7574’s requirement to identify redundancies at the Office of Intelligence and Analysis should not, I hope, be viewed as a pretext to reduce I&A’s workforce. I&A is charged with delivering timely and actionable intelligence to our law enforcement on the front lines and unnecessarily slashing their capacity could unintentionally create security gaps and make our communities more vulnerable to cyber terror attacks and other threats. While I understand that H.R. 7574 seeks to improve DHS relationships with law enforcement agencies by establishing clear communication protocols and centralizing points of contact for law enforcement engagement, I urge DHS to consult with Congress on the implementation of this bill and before any staffing changes or reductions are made. We need to strengthen, not undermine I&A’s ability to protect the homeland. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
“I want the House to pass this bill. It reorganizes parts of the Department of Homeland Security to help federal, state, and local police share intelligence more easily.”
“Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. I also thank my bipartisan partner on this, Representative Goldman, for his efforts on this bill. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan bill, the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act. This bill consolidates the functions of two existing Department of Homeland Security offices tasked with public safety coordination into one centralized point of contact. DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis, also known as I&A, is the only entity in the U.S. intelligence community responsible for delivering intelligence directly to State and local law enforcement agencies. As a former cop for over a decade in the Denver metro area, I know there is nothing more critical to law enforcement operations than open communication between local, State, and Federal agencies. Information sharing between the men and women on the front lines and Federal intelligence counterparts ensures that bad actors, often tied to international criminal organizations like cartels and terrorist groups, are removed from our streets as quickly as possible. From my own experience, I know that State and local law enforcement often face national and international threats: terrorists, cartels, cyberattacks, and foreign enemy regimes. This bill supports State and local law enforcement when they encounter those national or those international threats. Unfortunately, in my home State of Colorado, Denver Democrats are often more concerned about finding ways to weaken law enforcement operations and attacking our brave officers rather than prioritizing public safety. Defund-the-police antics create public safety conflicts and confusion for law enforcement officers who are trying to serve and protect their communities. This bill ensures that State and local agencies can easily and frequently access the resources they require from their Federal partners when they are facing threats that require Federal backing. By reorganizing the ELO Office and realigning its essential functions within I&A’s partner engagement directorate, this bill streamlines coordination between law enforcement agencies, enhances information- sharing mechanisms, and reduces duplicative actions. This ensures responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and it makes sure that State and local law enforcement agencies have the information that they need when they are facing those national or international threats. Time and again, we wait for tragedies to remind us that we have to incentivize interagency collaboration. This bill takes the fight to the streets, and it makes sure that we are preventively getting these resources to our State and local law enforcement agencies, because no single law enforcement agency can effectively address the full spectrum of threats without that combined resource. Madam Speaker, I strongly urge support for this bipartisan piece of legislation and support for the millions of State and local law enforcement officers across our country.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. I also thank my bipartisan partner on this, Representative Goldman, for his efforts on this bill. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the bipartisan bill, the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act. This bill consolidates the functions of two existing Department of Homeland Security offices tasked with public safety coordination into one centralized point of contact. DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis, also known as I&A, is the only entity in the U.S. intelligence community responsible for delivering intelligence directly to State and local law enforcement agencies. As a former cop for over a decade in the Denver metro area, I know there is nothing more critical to law enforcement operations than open communication between local, State, and Federal agencies. Information sharing between the men and women on the front lines and Federal intelligence counterparts ensures that bad actors, often tied to international criminal organizations like cartels and terrorist groups, are removed from our streets as quickly as possible. From my own experience, I know that State and local law enforcement often face national and international threats: terrorists, cartels, cyberattacks, and foreign enemy regimes. This bill supports State and local law enforcement when they encounter those national or those international threats. Unfortunately, in my home State of Colorado, Denver Democrats are often more concerned about finding ways to weaken law enforcement operations and attacking our brave officers rather than prioritizing public safety. Defund-the-police antics create public safety conflicts and confusion for law enforcement officers who are trying to serve and protect their communities. This bill ensures that State and local agencies can easily and frequently access the resources they require from their Federal partners when they are facing threats that require Federal backing. By reorganizing the ELO Office and realigning its essential functions within I&A’s partner engagement directorate, this bill streamlines coordination between law enforcement agencies, enhances information- sharing mechanisms, and reduces duplicative actions. This ensures responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and it makes sure that State and local law enforcement agencies have the information that they need when they are facing those national or international threats. Time and again, we wait for tragedies to remind us that we have to incentivize interagency collaboration. This bill takes the fight to the streets, and it makes sure that we are preventively getting these resources to our State and local law enforcement agencies, because no single law enforcement agency can effectively address the full spectrum of threats without that combined resource. Madam Speaker, I strongly urge support for this bipartisan piece of legislation and support for the millions of State and local law enforcement officers across our country.
“I support this bill. I just want to make sure it is not used to cut funding for intelligence work at the Department of Homeland Security.”
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman’s and the committee’s work on H.R. 7574, and it sounds like, I think, that we are in alignment. I just want to be sure that the language in the bill referring to redundancies isn’t used to defund the I&A at the Department of Homeland Security. It sounds like the gentleman and I are on the same page. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman’s and the committee’s work on H.R. 7574, and it sounds like, I think, that we are in alignment. I just want to be sure that the language in the bill referring to redundancies isn’t used to defund the I&A at the Department of Homeland Security. It sounds like the gentleman and I are on the same page. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7574. I congratulate Mr. Evans on this fine piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7574. I congratulate Mr. Evans on this fine piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.
