HR 7574: ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026

HR 7574 in plain English: This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to create and submit to Congress a reorganization plan for its Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office, which manages intelligence-sharing relationships with domestic and international partners. Until the plan is submitted and certified as being implemented, DHS cannot expand ELO's staffing, budget, or programs, and cannot create new offices that duplicate ELO's mission without congressional approval.

Stated purpose

The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to create and submit to Congress a detailed plan to reorganize its Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach (ELO) Office by moving its essential functions into an existing directorate, cutting redundant roles, and improving coordination with law enforcement partners.

Key points

• Requires DHS to develop a plan to reorganize its Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office and submit it to Congress.
• Plan must identify redundant or non-essential positions, programs, or functions within ELO.
• Essential ELO functions and personnel must be realigned within the Partner Engagement directorate.
• Freezes ELO's staffing, budget, and programmatic scope until the plan is submitted and certified.
• Bars DHS from creating new offices duplicating ELO's mission without congressional authorization.

Arguments supporters make

• The ELO Office has redundant and non-essential positions that waste taxpayer money, and requiring a reorganization plan forces DHS to identify and fix those inefficiencies.
• Centralizing outreach and liaison functions within one directorate will reduce duplication across DHS components and make coordination with law enforcement partners clearer and more effective.
• Freezing ELO's expansion until a plan is in place ensures Congress maintains proper oversight and prevents the office from growing without accountability.

Arguments opponents make

• Restricting ELO's budget and staffing before the reorganization is even planned could disrupt ongoing intelligence-sharing relationships with state, local, and tribal partners during a potentially sensitive transition period.
• Requiring a full reorganization plan within 120 days may be an unrealistically tight timeline, risking a rushed or incomplete plan that causes more confusion than it resolves.
• Labeling positions as 'redundant or non-essential' before a thorough review is complete could lead to the loss of specialized expertise that took years to build and is difficult to replace.

Tradeoffs

Imposing a freeze and reorganization may improve long-term efficiency and congressional oversight, but risks short-term disruption to existing law enforcement partnerships and intelligence-sharing operations that depend on ELO's current structure and personnel.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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