Trump’s acting intelligence chief begins sweeping ODNI firings
Bill Pulte has begun firing staff at ODNI, a move that could reshape the office overseeing 18 intelligence agencies and deepen fears of politicization.
Firing has begun inside the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the small but powerful hub that coordinates the U.S. Intelligence Community and serves as the president’s principal intelligence adviser. Bill Pulte, Donald Trump’s acting director, started dismissals Monday after asking for a full list of the office’s roughly 1,800 employees and weighing cuts to hundreds of jobs.
The moves hit the office that sits above 18 intelligence agencies and organizations, making ODNI a central clearinghouse for continuity, oversight and coordination. Any sweeping reduction there would reverberate well beyond Washington, affecting how intelligence is assembled, reviewed and delivered to the White House.
Trump has made clear he wants a far smaller operation. He told The Wall Street Journal that he wanted Pulte to “start the process” of firing large numbers of employees at ODNI as part of a broader shake-up of the intelligence community. CNN and NBC News also reported that the terminations were underway, with one source quoted saying, “The deep state firings have begun.”
The purge follows a broader campaign already set in motion by former DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who announced plans to cut ODNI’s workforce by up to 40% and eliminate several offices she described as politicized. Gabbard said those changes would save taxpayers more than $700 million a year, and ODNI had already reduced staffing by roughly 25% before Pulte arrived.
The personnel push has triggered a sharp backlash from Democrats in Congress, who say Pulte lacks the background needed for such a sensitive post. Sen. Mark Warner said Trump’s appointment threatened the integrity and independence of the Intelligence Community. Sen. Elizabeth Warren warned the move could create grave national security risks. House Intelligence ranking member Jim Himes said Pulte has “quite literally no relevant experience” with intelligence or national security, and lawmakers including Rep. Jason Crow have also objected to the appointment.
The fight now centers on more than headcount. It is about whether an acting director with no intelligence résumé can reshape the office that oversees America’s spy apparatus without damaging continuity, weakening oversight and inviting political interference into decisions that are meant to stay insulated from it. Presidents of both parties have tried to put their stamp on national-security agencies; this one is moving quickly, and Congress is signaling it will treat the consequences as a test of institutional independence.
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