Trump Names Pulte Acting DNI, Signals Support for Staff Reductions
A new acting director at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence arrives amid an already reduced workforce, raising questions about the legal limits of executive restructuring...
President Donald Trump stated on June 6, 2026, aboard Air Force One that he has appointed Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence and expressed openness to significant personnel reductions at the office, according to remarks reported by The Guardian and confirmed in a concurrent Wall Street Journal interview with the president. Trump told reporters that the size of the ODNI has been 'way too high for way too long,' and said 'if he cut, I wouldn't mind,' referring to Pulte.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence was established by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-458) and coordinates the activities of the 18-agency U.S. Intelligence Community. The office's staffing levels and any formal reduction-in-force actions would be subject to federal workforce statutes, including 5 U.S.C. Chapter 35, which governs adverse actions and reductions in force for federal employees.
Trump's Wall Street Journal interview, cited by The Guardian, indicated the president has directly asked Pulte to evaluate cuts to the office. The ODNI's current confirmed headcount for fiscal year 2026 has not been released in a publicly available unclassified budget document as of this publication date. The most recently published ODNI budget figure appeared in the National Intelligence Program top-line disclosure, which for FY2023 stood at $98.7 billion across all intelligence programs, per the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's own public release; ODNI-specific administrative staffing figures are classified.
Pulte's appointment carries the designation of 'acting' director, a status governed by the Federal Vacancies Reform Act of 1998 (5 U.S.C. §§ 3345–3349d), which limits acting officer service to 210 days absent a Senate-confirmed nominee. As of June 6, 2026, no Senate confirmation hearing for a permanent DNI nominee has been listed on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence's published calendar.
What remains unknown as of publication: the specific number of ODNI positions targeted for elimination, whether a formal reduction-in-force notice has been issued to employees under 5 C.F.R. Part 351, and whether any employees have received formal notice of separation. The ODNI's official staffing records and any issued RIF notices would be the authoritative documents to answer these questions. A formal budget amendment or reprogramming request submitted to the House and Senate intelligence committees would also be required under 50 U.S.C. § 3094 if funding is redirected.