The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has removed 51 staff members since Bill Pulte became acting director last Friday. Six career and political intelligence staff were terminated, while 45 were sent back to their home agencies, according to three sources familiar with the personnel moves.
Pulte consulted with deputies and other directors for suggestions on cuts, with some advocating for further reductions. However, Pulte determined that 51 was sufficient for now. One source described the cuts as thoughtful and methodical, noting that no staffers were removed from the counterterrorism group. No further firings are planned at this time, according to two sources.
The cuts follow hundreds of staff reductions last year under former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who stepped down last week. Gabbard's downsizing aimed to reduce the office's headcount from 2,000 to around 1,300. President Trump has pushed for additional cuts, directing Pulte to execute the downsizing in a Truth Social post earlier this month.
The ODNI oversees the country's intelligence agencies and coordinates their efforts. It was created in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which investigators widely believe were preceded by a failure of intelligence agencies to share information. Since then, Gabbard and some lawmakers have argued that the ODNI has become bloated and added unnecessary bureaucracy to the intelligence community. Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, said earlier this month that the office has grown far beyond its original mandate. Many of the office's staff hail from other intelligence agencies but have been detailed to ODNI, and Cotton argued that large numbers of them should be returned to their home agencies.