President Donald Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One, expressed his desire for the new acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, to reduce the size of the office. Trump mentioned, ‘The size of the office has been way too high for too long.’ He added that he would not mind if the office were cut further.
Bill Pulte, currently the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was introduced to journalists at the White House in July 2025. Trump praised Pulte’s capabilities, stating, ‘He’ll do a good job, watch it closely,’ describing Pulte as talented.
In an earlier Wall Street Journal interview, Trump confirmed he had instructed Pulte to initiate employee dismissals. Trump has communicated his viewpoint to Pulte, despite the latter lacking apparent national security background.
‘I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are many who shouldn’t be there,’ Trump noted, referencing officials from Democratic administrations under Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.
Trump also stated in the interview his expectation that the future permanent director of national intelligence should continue the downsizing process. Though Trump is not planning to nominate Pulte formally, he suggested that Pulte could effectively begin these changes before a new director arrives.
Pulte’s temporary appointment faced bipartisan Senate opposition, complicating the renewal of a critical national security surveillance program. Democrats involved in the vote expressed distrust toward Pulte’s ability to manage the program, given his oversight of 18 intelligence agencies.
Trump disclosed he was considering five well-known and respected candidates for the intelligence position but did not name them.
Under Tulsi Gabbard, the previous acting head, the DNI office took steps to decrease its size. The Trump administration had already announced over $700 million annual cuts to the office’s budget and a workforce reduction of approximately 40%. Gabbard referred to the office as ‘bloated and inefficient’ and resigned the previous month due to her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
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