• President Donald Trump has directed acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to execute an immediate downsizing of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and return staff to their home agencies.
  • The move is part of a broader push to reduce the federal intelligence bureaucracy, which Trump has long criticized as bloated.
  • The order could face legal and procedural hurdles, as some staffing changes may require congressional notification or consultation.

Immediate Downsizing Directive

President Donald Trump has instructed Bill Pulte, the acting director of national intelligence, to carry out an immediate and significant reduction in the size of the ODNI, according to a person familiar with the matter. The directive, which was conveyed directly to Pulte, calls for terminating a substantial number of ODNI employees and reassigning others to their original agencies.

“The President wants a leaner, more efficient intelligence community,” the person said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. “He believes the ODNI has grown too large and has lost sight of its coordination mission.”

The ODNI, created in the wake of the September 11 attacks to improve intelligence sharing among 17 agencies, has long been a target of conservative criticism. Critics argue it has become a layer of bureaucracy rather than a streamlined coordinator. Reached for comment, an ODNI spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the directive, saying the office “does not comment on internal personnel matters.”

Staff Reversion and Agency Impact

Under the plan, many ODNI staffers who were detailed from other intelligence agencies—such as the CIA, NSA, and FBI—will be sent back to their home organizations. This reversal could disrupt ongoing intelligence assessments and interagency projects, current and former officials said.

“It’s going to cause chaos,” said a former senior intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “These people are working on cross-agency task forces. Yanking them back midstream will set things back months.”

The exact number of positions to be cut is unclear, but the ODNI employed roughly 1,700 people as of last year. The downsizing order is expected to target both political appointees and career staff, though statutory protections for intelligence community employees may complicate terminations.

Broader Context and Pushback

Trump has long pledged to “drain the swamp” of Washington bureaucracy, and the ODNI has been in his crosshairs before. During his first term, the administration proposed significant budget cuts to the office, though Congress largely rebuffed them. This time, with a more sympathetic Congress and a Republican-controlled House, the administration may have greater success.

However, the directive faces potential legal challenges. Federal law requires the director of national intelligence to notify Congress before reducing the ODNI workforce below certain thresholds or making significant organizational changes. It remains unclear whether the administration will comply with those notification requirements.

Senator Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, criticized the move. “Unilaterally slashing the ODNI without consultation with Congress is reckless,” he said in a statement. “This is not how you make our country safer.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Immediate Next Steps

Pulte, who was confirmed as acting director in February after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard, is expected to begin implementing the order within days. Officials said the downsizing will proceed in phases, with the first wave of staff reassignments as early as next week.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the timing of Pulte's confirmation. He was confirmed in February, not March.