Trump pushes Pulte to cut more staff at U.S. intelligence office
Why it matters: The move deepens Senate resistance to Pulte and has already complicated renewal of a key surveillance program.
President Donald Trump wants acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte to begin firing more employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, extending a downsizing drive that already shrank the office under Tulsi Gabbard. Trump said the office had been too large for too long and indicated he wants his eventual permanent nominee to keep reducing staff. Pulte, who also leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency and lacks intelligence experience, was installed earlier this week on an acting basis. His appointment has drawn bipartisan blowback in the Senate and added friction to efforts on Capitol Hill to renew a national security surveillance program. The ODNI oversees 18 intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA.