From April 2009 to September 2011, Bernstein served first as the Local Affairs and then as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Homeland Security. In this role, he coordinated DHS’s outreach to mayors and governors. During his tenure at DHS, Bernstein worked extensively on numerous responses to significant events and policy initiatives including the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the earthquake in Haiti, as well as the dissemination of intelligence information to state and local governments during periods of increased threat.