When President Trump tapped Bill Pulte to step in as the Acting Director of National Intelligence, the backlash was immediate. On June 7, Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, didn’t mince words, openly slamming the decision as a glaring red flag for national security.
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Speaking on a recent news segment, Himes laid it out plainly: “This guy has zero background in national security, yet the president just handed him the keys to the most sensitive intelligence portfolio in the country.”
“If you look at the whole roster of questionable picks Trump has made so far, this one easily takes the cake as the worst and most dangerous,” Himes added.
Here’s where things get politically messy. Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) is officially set to expire on June 12. With Pulte suddenly at the helm, there’s a serious risk that renewing this critical surveillance authority could completely fall through.
Himes pointed out a harsh reality: “Trump isn’t the type to reverse course easily. But if letting Section 702 lapse opens a security gap that leads to a terrorist attack, that’s a nightmare scenario he definitely won’t want on his conscience.”
The timing couldn’t be more awkward. Congress has already slapped on two short-term extensions just to keep the lights on. Now, Pulte’s sudden appointment has essentially frozen any real progress on a permanent renewal.
“Honestly, I’ve never seen a worse hire in the intelligence community’s history,” he said. “And dropping this bombshell right before the deadline just makes it exponentially worse. With Pulte in charge, getting this bill across the finish line is basically a pipe dream.”
Pulte alongside Trump
Back on the 2nd, Trump officially named Pulte to fill the acting role, replacing Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her departure. Gabbard’s exit officially kicks in on June 30. Interestingly, Trump confirmed that Pulte will keep his current titles as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and chairman of the boards for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac while juggling this new intel gig.
At 38, Pulte is known as a staunch Trump ally. He’s the heir to the massive PulteGroup real estate empire and took over the FHFA back in March 2025, running two of the biggest mortgage giants in the U.S. But here’s the catch: he has absolutely no track record in intelligence or national security. That glaring gap has sparked serious eyebrows from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Just last April, the House actually voted to extend Section 702 by three years, with a solid 42 Democrats backing it. But the whole thing got stuck in the Senate because of a completely unrelated rider aimed at blocking the Federal Reserve from rolling out a central bank digital currency (CBDC).
When asked how Pulte’s new gig might shift the political landscape, Himes didn’t sugarcoat it: “I can guarantee that at least half of those Democrats who originally voted yes will now flip their stance.”
In his view, the only way out of this mess is for the president to admit he made a misstep, pull the plug on Pulte’s appointment, and find someone who actually knows the job. That’s the only shot at rebuilding trust with Democrats and the wider Congress. Still, Himes admitted he’s not holding his breath for that to happen.
Just last week, the Senate shot down another extension proposal for Section 702, largely fueled by growing public anxiety over unchecked surveillance of American citizens.
For context, FISA’s Section 702 gives U.S. intelligence agencies the green light to monitor “foreign targets” without a court order, sweeping up everything from calls and texts to internet traffic. After getting a fresh two-year lease in April 2024, intelligence agencies not only kept their watchful eye, but also secured bigger budgets and widened their surveillance net. Now, all that momentum is hanging by a thread.
