President Donald Trump on Tuesday named Bill Pulte, the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director of national intelligence, placing an ally with no background in intelligence to oversee the nation's spy agencies amid ongoing U.S. military involvement with Iran.
Pulte will take over from Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation at the end of May citing her husband's cancer diagnosis. The appointment places Pulte atop a network of 18 intelligence agencies including the CIA and NSA while he continues to run the housing finance agency and serve as chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The director of national intelligence is a Cabinet-level position that normally requires Senate confirmation, but naming Pulte in an acting capacity allows Trump to bypass that process for now.
What the Right Is Saying
Trump announced the appointment on social media, praising Pulte's financial management credentials. "He has deep experience managing the most sensitive matters in America, the safety and soundness of the Markets, and over $10 Trillion Dollars at Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac," Trump wrote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he had just learned of the decision and was gathering information about the administration's plans. "If he's somebody that wants that position permanently, he's got a lengthy road ahead of him," Thune told reporters.
Trump's post made no mention of Pulte's lack of intelligence experience. The president has previously installed acting officials in top positions during his first term, when the director of national intelligence role was held on an acting basis for roughly nine months before John Ratcliffe received Senate confirmation as permanent replacement.
What the Left Is Saying
Senate Intelligence Committee Ranking Member Mark Warner, D-Va., issued a sharp condemnation of the appointment, saying Pulte was chosen precisely because the White House believes he will provide "the narrative it wants, not the intelligence we need."
"He has been chosen for his willingness to advance the president's political agenda rather than his experience," Warner said in a statement. The senator warned that such appointments lead to politicized intelligence, disappearance of inconvenient facts, and agencies becoming tools to manipulate democracy rather than protect it.
Warner added: "That is how Americans are left more vulnerable to a terrorist attack."
Critics note Pulte's history of targeting Trump political enemies from his FHFA position. In May 2025, he sent criminal referrals against Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., for alleged mortgage fraud, allegations the senator denied and which stalled. He also made referrals against New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, both of whom have denied the accusations.
What the Numbers Show
The director of national intelligence position was created after the September 11 attacks to coordinate the nation's fragmented intelligence apparatus. The role oversees a budget of approximately $70 billion and controls access to the presidential daily intelligence briefing, considered one of the most sensitive documents in government.
Pulte was confirmed as FHFA director in March 2025 by a Senate vote that included three Democratic crossover votes: Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Ruben Gallego of Arizona, and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan. That confirmation margin suggests some bipartisan tolerance for his executive branch service even among members who typically oppose Trump nominees.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac together back or guarantee approximately $7 trillion in U.S. mortgages, making them central to the American housing finance system. Trump's post claimed the enterprises now manage "over 10 Trillion Dollars," a figure that appears to include mortgage servicing rights and other off-balance-sheet guarantees in addition to direct loan guarantees.
The Bottom Line
Pulte's appointment represents another example of Trump consolidating power within a small circle of loyalists who hold multiple positions across government. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also serves as national security adviser, Sean Duffy holds both Transportation secretary and acting NASA administrator roles, and Todd Blanche serves dual functions as acting attorney general and acting Librarian of Congress.
It remains unclear whether Pulte will be Trump's permanent nominee for the intelligence post or if he will remain in an acting capacity. If Trump pursues Senate confirmation, Pulte would face scrutiny over both his lack of intelligence credentials and his use of FHFA to target political opponents. The Senate Intelligence Committee hearing process would probe those activities extensively.
The appointment comes as U.S.-Iran tensions remain elevated following an air campaign launched against Iran on Feb. 28. Pulte will immediately assume responsibility for managing the president's daily intelligence briefing and serving as principal adviser on matters ranging from counterterrorism to geopolitical crises.