President Donald Trump said acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Bill Pulte has fired dozens of intelligence officers, marking the latest reported step in a broader effort to reduce the size of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
Trump announced the reported firings in a post on his Truth Social account. ODNI did not respond to requests for comment, and the agency has not publicly confirmed the reported personnel actions.
The reported dismissals come about one month after Trump said he wanted Pulte to reduce the size of ODNI.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on June 5, Trump said the office had grown too large.
“The size has been way too high for way too long,” Trump said. “If he cut, I wouldn’t mind that.”
The reported firings would represent the latest phase of an effort that began under former DNI Tulsi Gabbard to reduce the agency’s workforce significantly.
In August 2025, Gabbard announced the ODNI 2.0 initiative, which called for reducing the agency’s workforce by nearly 50% by the end of fiscal year 2025. The restructuring plan included refocusing functions within the Foreign Malign Influence Center, the National Counterproliferation and Biosecurity Center, and the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, while integrating core functions and expertise from those offices into ODNI’s Mission Integration directorate and the National Intelligence Council.
At the time, the agency also said it had already reduced its workforce by nearly 30%, with more than 500 staff members leaving the organization since Gabbard’s first day in office.
The reported firings also come after senior congressional Democrats warned Pulte against pursuing major personnel or organizational changes while serving in an acting capacity.
In a June 22 letter, Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said they were concerned Pulte could take actions beyond those typically associated with an acting director.
While acknowledging there is “room to consider responsible reductions to ODNI’s workforce,” the lawmakers argued that additional large-scale cuts, following the agency’s previous downsizing, could jeopardize its mission.
“Given your lack of experience within the Intelligence Community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short amount of time you have already developed fully informed views as to how to shrink ODNI without incurring risks to national security,” they wrote.
“Making significant structural changes to ODNI, to include a reduction in force, is not an appropriate course of action for anyone in an acting capacity, let alone without consultation with Congress,” the letter said.
The lawmakers also urged Pulte not to declassify intelligence in ways that could compromise sources and methods or serve partisan interests, saying any such actions should follow established procedures and include input from career intelligence officials.
Pulte became acting director of national intelligence after former DNI Tulsi Gabbard stepped down from the role effective June 30.
Trump has nominated Jay Clayton to serve as the permanent director of national intelligence. However, a Senate confirmation hearing for Clayton was postponed after Trump said he would delay the nomination until Congress acts on surveillance and election-related legislation.
Until a permanent director is confirmed, Pulte is expected to continue serving as acting DNI.