WASHINGTON — Acting U.S. Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte has begun reducing staff at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), dismissing political appointees and returning dozens of career officers to their home agencies as part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump's administration to shrink the intelligence office, according to current and former U.S. officials.
The personnel changes began during Pulte's first week leading the ODNI after he assumed the acting role on June 19. According to current and former intelligence officials cited by multiple U.S. media outlets, six political appointees were dismissed and several dozen career intelligence officers assigned to the ODNI from other agencies were directed to return to their parent organizations. The moves followed earlier workforce reductions initiated under former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who had said the office's staff had already been reduced significantly before her departure.
President Trump had publicly called for a smaller intelligence bureaucracy before Pulte took office. In remarks earlier this month, Trump said he wanted the ODNI downsized, arguing that the office overseeing the nation's 18 intelligence agencies had become too large. "I'd like to see it smaller," Trump told reporters, adding that he believed there were employees who "shouldn't be there," according to published reports.
Pulte, who continues to serve as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency while acting as the nation's top intelligence official, has faced criticism from Democratic lawmakers over his lack of national security experience. Representative Jim Himes, the ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said earlier that Pulte "should never spend a minute as Director of National Intelligence" if reports of planned mass dismissals proved accurate, and pledged congressional oversight of any personnel decisions.
Supporters of the restructuring have argued that streamlining the ODNI is consistent with the administration's effort to reduce the size of the federal government. According to officials familiar with the process, the latest personnel actions affected both political appointees and employees temporarily detailed from agencies including the Central Intelligence Agency and other elements of the intelligence community. Officials said no evidence has emerged that the core missions of the individual intelligence agencies have changed.
The White House has nominated Jay Clayton to serve as permanent director of national intelligence, although his Senate confirmation process has not been completed. Pulte is serving in an acting capacity pending further action. As of Thursday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence had not publicly announced additional workforce reductions beyond those already reported, and details about any future staffing changes remained unclear.
