WASHINGTON — Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte touted a new round of heavy cuts to the agency on Tuesday just hours before the Senate votes to confirm his replacement as President Donald Trump’s spy czar.
“Good News,” Pulte wrote on X on Tuesday. “In addition to the Historic DECLASSIFICATIONS (Transparency!) by the President, we are, this morning, Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago.”
“The Intelligence Community must protect the American people, NOT the political whims of the bloated and corrupt elite class,” he added.
ODNI did not immediately respond to a request for comment clarifying how many of Tuesday’s cuts involved staff firings or staff returned to their home agencies.
The Senate is expected to vote on Pulte’s replacement, Jay Clayton, at 6:30 pm ET on Tuesday evening, meaning that Pulte will likely no longer serve in the role by the end of the day.
Pulte, who came into ODNI with a mandate from President Donald Trump to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office,” has focused heavily on reducing the size of the agency in recent months. His entrance came shortly after former DNI Tulsi Gabbard announced she would be leaving the agency to help her husband deal with a cancer diagnosis.
Jay Clayton appears before the Senate Intelligence Committee during his nomination hearing on Capitol Hill July 15, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz/Getty Images)
Critics argue Pulte forced Gabbard out sooner than expected and say his aggressive cuts will leave ODNI too weak to effectively rein in rogue agencies like the FBI and CIA. Before Pulte arrived, Gabbard had already cut 40% of staff, which left the agency with fewer than 1,400 employees, compared to the estimated 38,000 at the FBI and 20,000 at the CIA.
The Daily Wire previously reported that Pulte was working closely with CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), both of whom have argued that ODNI has become an unnecessary layer of oversight over agencies such as the CIA and FBI.
Both Ratcliffe and Cotton are supporters of Clayton, and have publicly praised his nomination.
Ahead of Tuesday’s vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) accused Democrats of delaying Clayton’s confirmation despite their earlier criticism of Pulte’s appointment.
“Now Democrats have the opportunity to replace that acting official,” Thune said in a statement. “But they’re in no apparent rush to confirm a permanent director of national intelligence. They’ve opposed his nomination in committee. They’ve delayed things here on the floor. And I don’t expect we’ll see a lot of Democrat support for him in the final roll call.”
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