Trump’s Handpicked Loyalist Is Gutting the ODNI Payroll Within Days of Taking Office, Signaling a Shift in How the Intelligence Community Operates
Two days in.
Donald Trump’s handpicked loyalist is already gutting the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) payroll just days after taking over, and the fallout is raising alarms across the intelligence community. Bill Pulte, a Trump ally with no background in intelligence, began firing staff at the agency on Monday, June 22, 2026, his second full day on the job.
According to ABC News, the National Counterterrorism Center is expected to take the biggest hit, though the exact number of jobs already cut remains unclear. This isn’t just a routine shake-up. It’s a deliberate downsizing push that Trump has been vocal about for weeks. Earlier this month, he said he had asked Pulte to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office,” calling the ODNI’s size “way too high for way too long.”
Trump went further, saying he wanted Pulte to “start the process” of firing personnel and praised his acting status as “less shackled.” The message is clear: the intelligence community is in for a major overhaul, and Pulte is the man carrying it out.
The timing couldn’t be more chaotic
Trump had originally nominated Jay Clayton, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, to permanently lead the ODNI, but that confirmation process is now on hold until his pick to replace Clayton, Jamie McDonald, gets approved. In the meantime, Pulte is running the show and he’s wasting no time making his mark.
Reports suggest more than 50 career and political staff members have already been dismissed, with six fired outright and 45 sent back to their home agencies. Political appointees tied to former director Tulsi Gabbard were among the first to go, according to CNN.
Pulte’s appointment has already had real-world consequences. His takeover led to the lapse of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, a critical tool that allows the government to collect communications from foreigners abroad without a warrant. That’s a big deal.
Section 702 has been a cornerstone of U.S. counterterrorism and counterintelligence efforts since its inception, and its expiration could leave gaps in national security operations. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have warned that cutting staff too aggressively could further weaken the agency’s ability to function.
Leaders across parties are sounding the alarm
According to The Guardian, Representative James Himes and Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees, sent a letter to Pulte on Monday expressing concern about the firings. They argued that any large-scale cuts risk “jeopardizing the mission of an organization explicitly created after 9/11 to prevent any future such terrorist attack.”
The letter also noted that the ODNI had already undergone a substantial downsizing in 2025 under Gabbard, who slashed the workforce by 40%. At the time, Gabbard justified the cuts by calling the office bloated and inefficient, but even she didn’t move this fast.
Republicans aren’t all on board either. Senator Thom Tillis, who is retiring, didn’t hold back in his criticism of Pulte. “My guess is based on his past experience, it’s going to be another hot, steaming pile of Doge shit,” he said. Tillis called Pulte an “incompetent sycophant” and argued that any cuts should be based on a careful analysis of which jobs could be automated or eliminated. “You’re undermining ultimately what the confirmed administrator should be doing,” he added.
Pulte’s background doesn’t exactly inspire confidence
Before taking over the ODNI, he was best known for launching investigations into Trump’s political opponents, including Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, and former Representative Eric Swalwell. All of them have denied any wrongdoing, and the probes have been widely seen as politically motivated.
Now, with Pulte in charge of the ODNI, there are legitimate concerns about whether the agency will remain focused on its core mission or become another tool in a broader political agenda. The ODNI was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks to improve coordination and information-sharing across the intelligence community.
Its role is to oversee and integrate the work of 18 different agencies, from the CIA to the NSA, ensuring that critical intelligence doesn’t fall through the cracks. That’s a massive responsibility, and it requires a steady hand at the helm. Pulte’s rapid-fire firings and aggressive downsizing push suggest he’s more interested in making a statement than in maintaining stability.
What’s next?
The ODNI’s workforce has already shrunk significantly under Gabbard, and further cuts will leave the agency stretched thin. There’s also the question of what happens to Section 702. Without it, the U.S. loses a key tool for monitoring foreign threats, and it’s unclear whether Congress will move quickly to reauthorize it, especially with Pulte at the center of the controversy.
For now, the ODNI isn’t commenting on the firings, and the White House has deferred all questions back to the agency. But one thing is certain: Pulte’s tenure is off to a contentious start, and the intelligence community is bracing for more turbulence ahead.
(Featured image: The White House)
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