Acting DNI Bill Pulte announced a "5th and Near Final Round" of terminations at ODNI, claiming roughly a 30% staff reduction. Reporters and former intelligence officials say few actual firings have been verified, and Senator Mark Warner's office says Pulte has not provided documentation to the Senate Intelligence Committee. Observers note ODNI routinely rotates detailees back to their home agencies and that unfilled vacancies may have been counted as cuts. Lawmakers are demanding clarity.
Acting DNI Bill Pulte Claims 30% ODNI Staff Cut — Few Firings Verified
Acting Director of National Intelligence is Bill Pulte on June 24, 2026 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Hours before Senate Republicans confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence, acting DNI Bill Pulte used social media to announce what he described as a "5th and Near Final Round" of terminations at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), claiming roughly a 30% staff reduction.
"Good News! ... Executing a 5th and Near Final Round of TERMINATIONS, an approximately 30% Staff Reduction from Weeks Ago." — Bill Pulte
Pulte, who also serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), did not specify which audiences should welcome the cuts. The announcement followed public pressure from President Donald Trump and earlier reporting that Pulte had asked ODNI staff to compile lists of employees who might be targeted for removal.
Questions Around the Numbers
Reporters and current and former intelligence officials quickly raised doubts about Pulte's account. The New York Times reported that while Pulte publicly celebrated multiple "terminations," relatively few firings had actually been confirmed in recent weeks. Members of Congress said they were left uncertain whether ODNI had actually lost the number of staff Pulte claimed.
"The acting DNI has been quick to announce firings and make public claims about them, but has so far declined to provide the Senate Intelligence Committee with the information necessary to assess the accuracy of those statements or the basis for those decisions." — Spokesperson for Sen. Mark Warner
Possible Explanations
Former intelligence officials suggested several reasons Pulte's math may be misleading: ODNI routinely hosts temporary detailees from agencies such as the CIA and NSA who return to their home agencies when their assignments end; planned departures may have been counted as firings; and unfilled vacancies in centers like the National Counterterrorism Center may have been treated as terminated posts.
Pulte's office has not published a detailed list of names, positions or dates to substantiate the claimed cuts, and his spokesperson did not respond to some inquiries from major outlets seeking verification.
What Comes Next
With Jay Clayton set to take over as DNI, Pulte will return to his FHFA duties and — according to reporting — remains a visible figure in the administration and a potential candidate for future roles. Meanwhile, lawmakers and oversight officials continue to press for transparency about which moves were actual firings, which were routine departures, and how ODNI is counting workforce changes.
Bottom line: Pulte's social-media claim of a roughly 30% ODNI staff cut is not backed by publicly available documentation, and several credible explanations exist for why his numbers may overstate actual firings.
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