WASHINGTON — President Trump told The Wall Street Journal that he has instructed acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin firing employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence before a permanent nominee is in place, deepening a shake-up that has snarled the renewal of a key national security surveillance program on Capitol Hill.
The directive, disclosed in a Journal interview and confirmed by Trump to reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday, follows Tuesday's surprise appointment of Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, to replace Tulsi Gabbard atop the office that oversees 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. It sets up a confrontation with Senate Republicans who have questioned whether an acting chief with no national security background should be cutting personnel before the chamber confirms a successor.
What Trump said
"I'd like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there," Trump told the Journal, pointing to holdovers from the Obama and Biden administrations. Asked whether he wants Pulte to fire employees, the president said he wants the acting chief to "start the process," and that his eventual nominee should continue the work.
"Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come," Trump said. "Because, if he reduced the size, in conjunction with me ... and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in ... he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn't have to saddle somebody that goes in."
The acting designation, Trump told the Journal, is itself an advantage. "You're less shackled," he said. "It sort of gives you more power, you know, for a somewhat limited period of time." Because the post is temporary, Pulte does not require Senate confirmation and can serve up to 210 days.
The numbers
ODNI employed roughly 1,800 people when Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, according to figures cited by CNBC. Gabbard, who announced her resignation May 22 citing her husband's cancer diagnosis, cut the workforce by about 25 percent and the office's annual budget by more than $700 million, calling the agency "bloated and inefficient." Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, who has introduced legislation this year capping the office at 650 employees, endorsed the new effort on X. "President Trump is right: the ODNI has grown far beyond its original mandate," he wrote.
The pushback
The appointment has snarled the renewal of a critical national security surveillance program, with Democrats whose votes are needed for passage saying they did not trust Pulte to help administer it, PBS NewsHour reported. Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said any nominee must have "the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote." Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., in a video posted to X, called the dual role untenable. "You can't do both jobs ... this is outrageous," Warner said.
Trump told reporters Friday he is interviewing five candidates for the permanent post but did not name them.