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2h ago

Trump Stands By Bill Pulte Pick as Senate Deadlock Threatens FISA Section 702

Lawmakers say Pulte's lack of intelligence experience and partisan use of his housing office raise fears of politicized spying that are blocking a bipartisan renewal of the warrantless foreign surveillance law.

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U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) walks to a vote, in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 3, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, speaks to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, DC, on January 9.

Overview

  • President Trump named Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director, to serve as acting director of national intelligence and announced Pulte will begin the role on June 19.
  • Pulte has no known national security background and used his FHFA post to refer alleged mortgage fraud probes involving several Trump critics, which Democrats say shows a risk he could politicize intelligence.
  • House and Senate Democrats have withheld votes needed to clear a three-year reauthorization of Section 702, and that standoff could let the authority lapse on Friday if leaders do not reach a deal.
  • Some Senate Republicans are urging the White House to announce a credible, confirmable DNI nominee to win Democratic support while others say a short lapse or alternative measures could be considered.
  • If Section 702 expires, U.S. spy agencies would lose a key tool that collects foreign targets' communications without warrants and could face gaps in alerts about threats, and the dispute highlights wider fights over privacy, oversight, and presidential control of intelligence.