Bill Pulte’s Acting DNI Appointment Sparks Bipartisan Pushback

President Donald Trump named Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence. Trump said the move was intended to streamline the intelligence bureaucracy and reduce the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

Lawmakers from both parties criticized the choice, noting Pulte’s lack of intelligence experience and the risk of politicizing the intelligence community. Republican senators such as Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy called the appointment “incendiary” and questioned Pulte’s qualifications, while Democratic senators, including Mark Warner and Elizabeth Warren, warned that Americans could not trust him with sensitive information.

Following the backlash, Trump told reporters, “He’s not going to be permanent because, you know, I don’t think he’d want to be permanent,” indicating that Pulte would only serve in an interim capacity while other candidates are interviewed. The controversy highlights ongoing debates about ODNI reform and the broader effort to reshape federal agencies under the Trump administration.