Managers across the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) have told employees to anticipate further workforce reductions in the near term, according to three people familiar with the situation. The guidance follows President Donald Trump’s recent declaration that he will install Bill Pulte, a federal housing regulator with no prior intelligence experience, as interim Director of National Intelligence when Tulsi Gabbard steps down later this month.
In public comments, the president said he would like the agency to be smaller, noting that "there are a lot of people in there that shouldn't be there." That instruction has echoed through internal conversations at ODNI, where managers have signaled to some staff that additional cuts are possible.
Since taking the role last year, Gabbard enacted a substantial reorganization that reduced the agency’s personnel by roughly 40 percent. The precise number of employees remaining is unclear; the agency previously employed more than 1,000 people. Sources described a two-tiered outcome for those affected by last year’s changes: some staff had positions eliminated but were not formally fired and were instead classified as "excess to need," while others subsequently left the agency for other opportunities.
In recent weeks, several employees who remain on ODNI payrolls have been told by management that they likely will not be placed into long-term posts and were advised to seek employment elsewhere. One of the people familiar with internal deliberations said that President Trump’s announcement of Pulte’s pending appointment has effectively accelerated those exits.
An intelligence official contacted about the matter stated that the employees who were identified as excess "have already moved on to other opportunities." ODNI spokeswoman Olivia Coleman defended Gabbard’s earlier restructuring, saying the workforce reduction saved "nearly $1 billion, making the agency exponentially more efficient and effective in delivering results for the American people."
Tensions and analytical frictions
Pulte’s upcoming role as interim director arrives amid notable friction between ODNI and the Central Intelligence Agency. The split dates to a task force created under Gabbard with the stated aim of rooting out politicization within the intelligence community. That internal campaign and its fallout have, according to people familiar with the matter, degraded collaborative work between agencies, particularly on analytical products.
One close consequence of additional staffing reductions would be fewer personnel supporting the National Intelligence Council (NIC), the intelligence community’s primary analytic body. The NIC has already experienced setbacks after last year’s cuts, which included the removal of two CIA officers who had served on the council. Sources say the CIA is no longer contributing to certain council intelligence assessments as a result of strained relations with ODNI.
Some members of Congress from the Republican party have argued for more drastic steps, calling into question the agency’s future. Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, reiterated his long-standing support for downsizing or even eliminating the ODNI, saying on X last week that he has for some time advocated reducing the size of the bureaucracy.
Implications for surveillance authority renewal
The selection of Pulte has added complexity to efforts to reauthorize a critical surveillance authority known as FISA 702. Democrats have warned they will block renewal of the authority unless the president reconsiders his interim director choice. Critics of the appointment argue Pulte, because of his lack of background in intelligence and perceived loyalty to the president, could further politicize the intelligence community.
FISA 702 permits U.S. intelligence agencies to monitor the communications of foreign individuals located outside the United States without obtaining individual judicial warrants. The authority is set to expire this coming Friday, and the appointment-related controversy has become a bargaining point in discussions over renewal.
Staff morale and the path ahead
Within ODNI, the combined effect of last year’s workforce cuts, the departures of personnel labeled excess, and the warning of additional reductions has contributed to a period of uncertainty. Sources say some employees who had positions eliminated left on their own, while others were encouraged to find work elsewhere after being told they were unlikely to be reassigned to permanent positions.
Officials and spokespeople have presented differing framings: some emphasize cost savings and increased efficiency following the restructuring, while other observers point to frictions in interagency cooperation and potential erosion of analytic capacity. With the interim leadership change pending and a time-sensitive surveillance authorization in need of reauthorization, the agency faces a volatile stretch that will determine how its workforce and interagency relationships evolve.
For now, managers appear to be preparing staff for further contractions in headcount. How many positions will ultimately be cut, which teams will be affected, and whether the ongoing tensions with the CIA will ease or deepen under interim leadership remain open questions.