President Donald Trump announced Friday his intention to have Bill Pulte, his newly appointed acting director of national intelligence, downsize the agency, which has already undergone significant reductions during his current administration.
Speaking to reporters while traveling to Wisconsin, Trump expressed his belief that the agency’s staffing levels have been “way too high for way too long” and indicated his support if Pulte decides to implement cuts.
“Bill Pulte is very good, he’s very talented,” Trump commented during his flight aboard Air Force One. In a separate conversation with The Wall Street Journal, the president revealed he has already requested that Pulte begin terminating employees.
During his discussion with the Journal, Trump confirmed he has already shared his perspective with Pulte, who previously led the Federal Housing Finance Agency but lacks experience in national security matters.
“I’d like to see it smaller. I think there are a lot of people in there that shouldn’t be there,” Trump stated, referring specifically to intelligence officials who worked during the administrations of Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama, according to the Journal.
Trump explained to the publication that he wants Pulte to initiate the dismissal process, with the eventual permanent intelligence director continuing the effort. The president has signaled he will not put Pulte forward for formal nomination to the permanent role.
“Frankly, it might be good for him to shake it up before people come,” Trump explained. “Because, if he (Pulte) reduced the size, in conjunction with me … and in conjunction with possibly the person coming in … he can do a lot of the hard work and we wouldn’t have to saddle somebody that goes in.”
The president selected Pulte for the role earlier this week in an unexpected decision that has faced opposition from both parties in the Senate, which must approve presidential appointments. This interim assignment has complicated efforts to renew an important national security surveillance program on Capitol Hill, with Democrats crucial to the vote expressing distrust of Pulte — whose position supervises 18 intelligence organizations — to help manage the surveillance initiative.
Before Pulte’s appointment, his predecessor Tulsi Gabbard had already begun reducing the office’s scope. Last August, the administration announced plans to decrease the office’s annual budget by over $700 million while dramatically reducing personnel numbers.
During that announcement, Gabbard characterized the office as having become “bloated and inefficient” as she revealed the approximately 40% staff reduction.
Gabbard stepped down from her position last month following her disclosure of her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
