A wave of intelligence agency firings has begun under President Donald Trump’s newly appointed acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, according to a source familiar with the matter. The terminations, which started Monday, mark the opening phase of an effort Trump has explicitly tasked Pulte with carrying out: dramatically downsizing the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

The purge has already triggered alarm among lawmakers and former officials, who warn that gutting key parts of the intelligence community could carry serious national security consequences.

The Firings Begin

The dismissals got underway Monday, with one source describing them bluntly as the start of “the deep state firings.” CNN was first to report that the terminations were in motion, and a separate source confirmed the developments to NBC News.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to requests for comment, leaving many details about the scope and pace of the cuts unclear in the early hours of the purge.

Trump’s Mandate for Downsizing

The firings stem directly from Trump’s instructions. After naming Pulte acting director earlier this month, the president said on Truth Social that he had asked Pulte to execute the immediate and necessary downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.

Notably, Pulte arrives in the role without a background in national security. He has been serving as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, a far cry from the intelligence world he now oversees, which has fueled some of the concern surrounding his appointment.

Hundreds of Jobs on the Line

The scale of the planned cuts appears substantial. According to a source with knowledge of the matter, Pulte ordered staff to identify 400 employees for termination from the National Counterterrorism Center, part of the U.S. intelligence community, in the coming weeks.

The timing of that instruction raised eyebrows. Pulte reportedly issued the directive late Thursday, before he had even officially taken over from outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard. He formally began his new post the following day.

Why the Counterterrorism Center Matters

The focus on the National Counterterrorism Center is particularly sensitive given the office’s history and purpose. It was established in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks to serve critical functions, including:

• Monitoring terrorist threats and suspected militants
• Pooling intelligence information from across federal agencies

Former intelligence officials have warned that reductions at the center could weaken the government’s ability to detect and prevent terrorist plots, raising the stakes well beyond a routine bureaucratic reorganization.

Pushback From Congress

The plans have drawn sharp objections from lawmakers, particularly Democrats on the congressional intelligence committees.

In a letter to Pulte earlier Monday, Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrats on those committees, expressed concern over reports that he intended to fire or place on leave hundreds of ODNI officers as soon as this week.

They argued that making significant structural changes to the office, including a reduction in force, is not appropriate for anyone serving in an acting capacity, especially without consulting Congress. They urged Pulte to refrain from moving forward.

A Pattern of Deep Cuts

The current firings are not happening in isolation. The Democrats pointed out that the office had already gone through substantial downsizing in 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s broader layoffs across the federal workforce.

The numbers underscore the scale of that effort:

• About 256,000 federal workers, or 11% of the workforce, were let go in 2025, according to the Government Accountability Office
• ODNI itself reduced its size by nearly 30%, more than 500 staffers, in the first six months under Gabbard
• The agency had reportedly aimed to push that reduction to 50%

Seen in that context, the latest purge represents a continuation and intensification of an already aggressive campaign to shrink the agency.

A Complicated Leadership Situation

Pulte’s appointment came after Gabbard announced she was stepping down for family reasons. His selection was met with bipartisan concerns in Congress, largely due to his lack of national security experience.

The leadership picture has grown even more tangled. Trump has said Pulte would not hold the role permanently and announced plans to nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, instead. However, Trump abruptly halted Clayton’s nomination just hours before his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing.

The president has since asked Senate Republicans to hold off on acting on Clayton’s nomination until a replacement is installed for his current role as U.S. attorney, leaving the future leadership of the nation’s top intelligence office uncertain.

The Bottom Line

The mass firings under Bill Pulte represent a significant and controversial shake-up at the heart of the U.S. intelligence community. With hundreds of jobs targeted, including at an office created specifically to guard against terrorism, the move has sparked warnings about potential risks to national security.

As lawmakers push back and questions swirl around the agency’s leadership, the coming weeks will reveal just how deep the cuts go and what they mean for the country’s intelligence capabilities. For now, the purge stands as one of the most dramatic restructurings the office has faced since its creation.