Acting intelligence director begins staff reductions at ODNI
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Acting Director Bill Pulte has started a wave of terminations at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including plans to cut hundreds of positions at the National Counterterrorism Center, prompting criticism from congressional leaders.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, appointed by President Donald Trump, began removing staff from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Monday, according to a source familiar with the process. The move follows Trump’s directive to downsize the office and return personnel to their original agencies. Pulte, who previously led the Federal Housing Finance Agency and lacks a background in national security, issued an order to identify about 400 employees at the National Counterterrorism Center for termination in the coming weeks. The counterterrorism center, created after the September 11 attacks to coordinate threat monitoring across agencies, could see its ability to detect and prevent plots weakened by the cuts, former intelligence officials warned.
Top Democrats on the congressional intelligence committees, Rep. Jim Himes and Sen. Mark Warner, wrote to Pulte expressing concern over the planned firings and urged him to refrain from making such structural changes without congressional consultation. They noted that ODNI had already undergone a substantial reduction in staff in 2025, part of a broader federal workforce downsizing that saw roughly 256,000 employees, or 11%, leave government jobs that year. A document released in August indicated the agency had cut more than 500 positions in the first six months under former director Tulsi Gabbard and was aiming for a 50% reduction.
Pulte’s appointment has drawn bipartisan scrutiny because of his limited experience in intelligence matters. President Trump later indicated that Pulte would serve only in an acting capacity and mentioned a potential nomination of Jay Clayton for the permanent role, though the nomination was paused pending further considerations.