OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
4:42 PM – Wednesday, June 10, 2026
President Donald Trump accused Democrats of attempting to hold United States national security “hostage” as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 is set to expire on Friday.
“Just like they did on Border Funding, the Radical Left Dumocrats are trying to take our National Security hostage because of unrelated issues. They should stop playing politics with the safety of our Great Country. 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,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
“At the same time, I am looking for a permanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security. FISA 702 is very important to our Military, and keeping the American People safe, especially during the World Cup and America250 Celebrations. If nothing is done, this important Law will expire this week. 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. I would like to thank Director Pulte for his time and commitment,” he continued.
The current political gridlock over the renewal of the FISA Section 702 spy program is driven by a fight over who controls the nation’s intelligence apparatus following the sudden resignation of Director Tulsi Gabbard.
Initially, President Trump announced that Aaron Lukas, a career intelligence official and the Senate-confirmed Principal Deputy Director, would step up as the Acting Director of National Intelligence. However, Trump later shifted course and instead appointed Bill Pulte, the current head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
The president officially announced the appointment of Pulte as the Acting Director of National Intelligence on June 2nd via a post on Truth Social. The administration later moved up his official start date to June 19th, and since it is an acting appointment to fill a sudden vacancy, Pulte is legally allowed to serve in the position for up to 210 days without undergoing the standard Senate confirmation process.
“I have named William [Bill] 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,” Trump said. “At the same time, I am looking for a permanent ODNI Nominee with experience in National Security.”
According to sources, this strategic pivot was driven by a commitment to oversight, with Trump expressing that he would rather have Pulte’s intelligence over another person’s national security experience, at least for the time being, until he finds a permanent replacement. Supporters of the change have also argued that an outsider perspective is exactly what is needed to reform and streamline a heavily bureaucratized intelligence apparatus.
However, Democrats are seemingly using the leadership change as a pretext to stall vital counterterrorism tools. As a result of this obstruction, a bipartisan Senate agreement to extend FISA was derailed just days before the June 12th deadline, threatening to leave the country vulnerable unless a short-term extension is reached.
Beyond the immediate impasse over Pulte’s appointment, opposition centers on civil liberties concerns. Among these grievances is the “backdoor search loophole,” with Democrat and some Libertarian-leaning Republican critics arguing that Section 702 routinely sweeps up the private phone calls, texts, and emails of law-abiding Americans who happen to be communicating with foreign targets.
FISA 702 “permits the govern located outside the United States, with the compelled assistance of electronic communication service providers, to acquire foreign intelligence information,” according to the Intelligence Community (IC). It also notes that it only applies to non-U.S. citizens located out of the United States.
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