Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks prompted a bipartisan overhaul of U.S. homeland security, Democratic leaders Nancy Pelosi and Bennie Thompson are warning that President Donald Trump's second-term policies are systematically undoing those safeguards. In a sharp rebuke, the two former chairs of the House Homeland Security Committee argue that the administration's cuts to anti-terrorism funding, push to privatize airport screening, and purge of career national security personnel have left the country dangerously exposed.
The criticism comes as Trump faces mounting scrutiny over his national security decisions, including a controversial military campaign in Iran that Democrats say is escalating threats against Americans at home and abroad. Pelosi and Thompson, who helped craft many of the post-9/11 reforms, contend that the administration is not just failing to address security gaps but actively creating new ones.
Anti-Terror Grants Weaponized
One of the key pillars of the post-9/11 response was the creation of anti-terrorism grants to help state and local governments harden their defenses. Pelosi and Thompson note that the Trump administration has turned these grants into a political battleground, withholding or delaying hundreds of millions of dollars. They cite the administration's attempt last year to slash New York state and city funding by $187 million—a move reversed only after lawsuits and public backlash, with some legal challenges still ongoing.
"It is an outrage that anti-terrorism grant money rightfully owed to our brave first responders is now something communities must fight for in court," the lawmakers wrote.
TSA Privatization and Staffing Cuts
The administration's push to privatize the Transportation Security Administration—an idea drawn from Project 2025—has drawn particular ire. Pelosi and Thompson argue that returning to a pre-9/11 model of private security screening would prioritize corporate profits over passenger safety, inevitably leading to weaker screening standards.
Beyond aviation, the administration has slashed counterterrorism and intelligence staff at the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and the National Counterterrorism Center. The lawmakers, who championed the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act in 2007, say these purges have stripped the government of decades of institutional knowledge and damaged intelligence-sharing with allies. "Our allies are increasingly nervous about sharing information with us as Trump alienates them and cozies up to Russia," they wrote.
Cyber Vulnerabilities Ignored
The 9/11 Commission Report famously concluded that the government's "most important failure was one of imagination." Pelosi and Thompson argue that the Trump administration is repeating that mistake when it comes to cyber threats. Despite repeated warnings from intelligence officials about China's cyber capabilities and the risks posed by artificial intelligence, the administration has cut a third of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's staff and reduced cybersecurity personnel across the federal government.
With China pre-positioning on critical infrastructure networks and Iran hacking water utilities, the lawmakers warn that a weakened federal government lacks the expertise to defend against a major cyberattack. "We are left with a weakened federal government that lacks the expertise and resources necessary to keep us secure in cyberspace," they wrote.
Iran Conflict and Deportation Focus
The administration's military actions against Iran, which the National Counterterrorism Center Director said posed "no imminent threat," have heightened the danger to Americans. By July, the State Department issued a rare worldwide alert warning that Americans could be targeted abroad.
Meanwhile, Trump's fixation on mass deportations has diverted thousands of law enforcement personnel from counterterrorism duties to immigration enforcement. The lawmakers also criticized Trump's pardon of over 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6 attack on the Capitol, arguing it signals to adversaries that the administration is willing to weaken the rule of law.
Pelosi and Thompson concluded that with Republicans in Congress unwilling to check the president, Democrats must step up to hold the administration accountable and rebuild the homeland security apparatus. "Trump is opening the door to potential new attacks by creating security gaps in almost every area of national security," they warned.
