Trump Directs Intelligence Agency Downsizing

Trump Orders Intelligence Agency Staff Cuts

U.S. President Donald Trump has directed William Pulte, the incoming acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI), to reduce staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) upon assuming his role on June 19. The directive, issued via a Truth Social post on Wednesday, instructs Pulte to return ODNI staff to their respective home agencies. This move follows Trump's controversial appointment of Pulte, a businessman with no intelligence or military background, which has drawn bipartisan criticism.

Pulte's appointment has complicated congressional efforts to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a measure permitting warrantless surveillance of foreign communications. Democrats, and some Republicans, have expressed concerns about Pulte's qualifications and potential politicization of the intelligence apparatus. Senator Mark Warner, a key member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, characterized Pulte's appointment as detrimental to the Section 702 renewal process.

The Senate recently voted 52-47 against a three-year extension of Section 702, with all but one Democrat and seven Republicans opposing the measure. Trump has urged Congress to pass a temporary extension, accusing Democrats of politicizing national security. Pulte, currently head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has previously accused several of Trump's political adversaries of mortgage fraud, leading to accusations from Democrats that he is weaponizing his government position.