Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte has fired six staff members and reassigned 45 others back to their home agencies [1], [2].
These moves signal a rapid shift in the leadership of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and reflect a broader administration goal to reduce the size of the U.S. intelligence workforce.
The removals occurred in June 2026, just days after Pulte assumed the role of acting DNI [3], [4]. In total, more than 50 intelligence personnel were removed from their positions [2].
According to a source, the personnel affected by these actions did not have current tasks, or were working on assignments that had become outdated [1]. The decision aligns with public statements made by President Donald Trump regarding the scale of the intelligence community.
"I wouldn't mind if he cut," Trump said to reporters on Air Force One on Friday. "It's been high ..." [5].
Trump emphasized his desire for a significant reduction in personnel during a separate conversation. "I want him to start the process of firing a big chunk of staff," Trump said to The Wall Street Journal [3].
The reassignments return 45 employees to the agencies where they were originally employed [1]. This process allows the ODNI to streamline its internal operations while moving staff back to the broader intelligence community infrastructure.
“More than 50 intelligence personnel were removed from their positions.”
The rapid reduction of staff under Bill Pulte indicates a transition toward a leaner intelligence oversight body. By removing personnel with outdated assignments, the administration is implementing a structural downsizing of the ODNI to align with the president's stated goal of cutting the federal intelligence workforce.
