Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte said Sunday his office had conducted a fourth round of “thoughtful, measured” layoffs since he took office on June 19 as part of the Trump administration’s effort to refocus the intelligence community on its core national security mission. Pulte announced the latest personnel reductions in an evening post on X, writing that his team had been “smartly, and carefully” shrinking the Office of the Director of National Intelligence while recentering the agency on “national security, the law, and the statute.”
“As of this evening, we just finished a 4th round of thoughtful, measured layoffs. Thank you!” Pulte wrote. The latest cuts continue an overhaul that began under former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who previously said she eliminated hundreds of positions during her tenure. Since taking over as acting director, Pulte has accelerated the effort, with President Donald Trump repeatedly calling for a leaner intelligence bureaucracy after criticizing what he has described as the “deep state.” The Hill reported that Pulte’s latest announcement came just days after the Senate Intelligence Committee advanced Trump’s nomination of former SEC Chairman Jay Clayton to become the permanent director of national intelligence.
