Trump names FHFA Director Pulte acting director of national intelligence

President Donald Trump has appointed Bill Pulte as the Acting Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Pulte will also remain in his current roles as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and chairman of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

“William 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, a substantial increase from where it was just 12 months ago,” Trump said in a Truth Social post announcing the appointment on Tuesday.

Pulte will succeed Tulsi Gabbard, a politician and U.S. military office, who announced she is stepping down from the role this month.

Pulte is seen as a staunch Trump ally, though his appointment is notable given his lack of a traditional military or intelligence background. The DNI is the top official responsible for coordinating the U.S. intelligence agencies and advising senior government leaders on critical issues, including terrorism, espionage, cyberattacks and foreign government activities.

Should the president formally nominate him to hold the position full-time, Pulte would need to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Senate previously confirmed Pulte — grandson of the founder of the homebuilding giant PulteGroup — to the FHFA position in March 2025.

Within months of taking the helm at the FHFA, Pulte initiated sweeping leadership changes at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. He moved to terminate Special Purpose Credit Programs (SPCPs), cut DEI budgets, and rescinded various fair lending and climate-risk advisory bulletins. Pulte also targeted credit-scoring companies, applying pressure on Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO) while clearing the enterprises to accept the VantageScore 4.0 credit model.

Pulte established a dedicated mortgage fraud tip line and issued criminal referrals to the Department of Justice regarding occupancy fraud. His efforts led to high-profile criminal referrals against Trump adversaries, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook. He was a vocal participant in the administration’s pressure campaign against Fed Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates.

Bose George, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods (KBW), released a note to investors following the announcement in which he referred to ongoing talks about returning Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private sector.

“While [Pulte] could potentially remain in both roles [as FHFA director and acting director of national intelligence], to the extent he chooses to leave the role as director of the FHFA, it could be viewed as positive for GSE privatization,” George wrote.

“While Director Pulte has voiced support for GSE privatization, it does not appear that FHFA has actively taken steps to meaningfully further the process, for example by revisiting the capital rule that was put in place by Mark Calabria during Trump 1.0.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated with comments from KBW.