President Donald Trump is pressing Congress to approve a brief extension of a key surveillance authority as he moves to install businessman Bill Pulte as Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
According to Breitbart, President Trump announced the shake-up on Truth Social, stating, I have named William Pulte to be Acting Director of National Intelligence, who will take over on June 19th, and have asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies. He added, At the same time, I am looking for a permanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security.
The president is tying the leadership transition at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to the fate of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is set to lapse this week. FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations, he wrote, warning, If nothing is done, this important Law will expire this week.
President Trump urged lawmakers to avoid that outcome by sending him a temporary renewal while his administration settles on a permanent DNI nominee. I am asking Congress to send me a short-term extension of FISA to provide time for the selection and confirmation of a permanent Head of the Agency, he said, adding, I would like to thank Director Pulte for his time and commitment.
Section 702 is designed to target foreign adversaries overseas, but it has long raised constitutional concerns because Americans private communications can be swept up incidentally without a warrant. The authority will expire on June 12 if Congress fails to act, a prospect that alarms national security hawks but energizes civil-liberties advocates demanding stronger Fourth Amendment protections.
President Trumps move comes after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and other House Republican leaders met with him at the White House to discuss a successor to outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard. The choice of Pulte, coupled with an explicit mandate to downsize ODNI, underscores a conservative push to rein in the intelligence bureaucracy while preserving critical tools against foreign threats.
Whether Congress can muster support for anything beyond a short-term patch remains uncertain, as many Senate Democrats oppose confirming Pulte as permanent DNI and a bipartisan bloc wants warrant requirements added to Section 702 queries involving Americans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) signaled Republicans intent to keep the program alive, saying, I think well find out probably in short order what the discussions between the White House and Senate Democrats are able to accomplish, and then well figure it out from there.
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