Republicans split on intelligence agency firings under Pulte

WASHINGTON —

There are several reports that firings are underway at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), just days after a new and controversial leader took charge of the agency temporarily. Democrats and some Republicans are raising concerns, as there are still open questions about the scope of the staff cuts.

President Donald Trump tapped Bill Pulte to serve as acting director of national intelligence earlier this month. Pulte, who also leads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, has faced criticism for his lack of national security experience and his willingness to target the president’s political enemies.

The ODNI oversees the nation’s 18 intelligence agencies and was created in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to improve information sharing across the federal government.

The office didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions about how many employees could be fired, what specific positions are being targeted, and whether cuts could impact the safety of the American public.

Asked about reports that firings are already underway, the White House referred to a social media post from the president earlier this month, saying that he asked Putle to “execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.”

How are lawmakers reacting?

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), who just lost his primary to a Trump-backed challenger, said he doesn’t think it’s appropriate for Pulte to oversee firings at ODNI, given how recently he stepped into the leadership role.

“How do you know who you are firing?” Cassidy said. “If you fire people and you leave a hole in your organization, it seems as if it takes more than a couple of days to understand where that hole would be.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) echoed those concerns.

“Has he done the analysis? Does he know what their performance ratings are? What the critical positions are? I think what could happen is that we end up moving so quickly that it is going to make the job even more difficult for a permanent nominee,” Tillis said.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) said he would defer to the president, and Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) said he’s fine with it “if he is firing the right people.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) argued there is bipartisan consensus that change is needed at the office, though he didn’t weigh in on Pulte overseeing that process.

“There are things about the Office of DNI that can be made more efficient, more effective, and streamlined, and frankly, I think that’s something that many of us agree on,” Thune said. “How they go about that obviously is something that we’ll want to have some visibility into.”

In a letter to Pulte this week, the top Democrats on House and Senate intelligence committees said that there is room to consider “responsible reductions to ODNI’s workforce,” but they warned against large-scale cuts, particularly following last year’s downsizing under former DNI Tulsi Gabbard, who recently resigned following her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

“Given your lack of experience within the Intelligence Community, it is difficult to imagine that in such a short amount of time you have already developed fully-informed views as to how to shrink ODNI without incurring risks to national security,” wrote Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia.

On Tuesday, Warner introduced legislation that, if passed, would impose stricter criteria around who could serve as Director of National Intelligence in the future.

Surveillance program in limbo

Backlash over Pulte’s temporary appointment has also disrupted a key tool that intelligence agencies use to spy on foreign targets and prevent terrorist attacks, among other crimes.

The program, Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), expired earlier this month after Congress failed to pass an extension. That has raised concerns about possible intelligence gaps, especially as America250 celebrations and the World Cup require a heightened security posture.

Asked if an extension is possible before lawmakers leave town later this week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said, “This is all up to the Republicans. As long as Pulte is there, there’s not going to be any FISA agreement.”

Last week, Trump abruptly delayed the Senate’s effort to fast-track his permanent pick for director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton, who has received bipartisan praise on Capitol Hill. In the same social media post, he said he would not approve FISA unless Congress also approved election legislation alongside it.

While Republicans largely support the bill, called the Save America Act, Thune has repeatedly emphasized that it does not have enough votes to clear the 60-vote threshold required in the Senate, which would require some Democratic buy-in.