In his immediate response to the Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, the President issued Executive Order 13356, Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information to Protect Americans, August 27, 2004, and established a Council to review matters related to the improvement of sharing terrorism information.

The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (IRTPA) changed the name of this Council to the Information Sharing Council and provided it responsibilities to advise the President and the Program Manager on the development of ISE policies, procedures, guidelines, and standards, and to ensure proper coordination among federal agencies participating in the ISE.

On October 25, 2005, the President issued Executive Order 13388, Further Strengthening the Sharing of Terrorism Information to Protect Americans, superseding Executive Order 13356, to restructure the Information Sharing Council, bringing it into alignment with the requirements of IRTPA.

Under the Obama Administration, the Information Sharing Council has been integrated into the White House policy process through the Information Sharing and Access Interagency Policy Committee (IPC), so that the important work of the ISC will move forward under the auspices of the Executive Office of the President.