Trump sticks with Pulte for intel job as risk grows of lapse in spy powers

By — Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press By — Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press By — Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Seung Min Kim, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-sticks-with-pulte-for-intel-job-as-risk-grows-of-lapse-in-spy-powers Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Trump sticks with Pulte for intel job as risk grows of lapse in spy powers Politics Jun 10, 2026 6:10 PM EDT WASHINGTON (AP) — A lapse in a law that allows the U.S. to gather intelligence abroad grew more likely on Wednesday as President Donald Trump resisted calls from Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to immediately name a permanent head of the nation's intelligence agencies. Trump has doubled down on his temporary pick for director of national intelligence, federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, even though he has little experience for the job. Democrats say they won't support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless he withdraws Pulte's appointment and nominates a permanent replacement. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. The impasse could soon result in limitations on what intelligence the U.S. government can collect abroad just as World Cup games begin in cities around the country and ahead of celebrations for the nation's 250th anniversary. The law expires on Friday at midnight. Trump on Wednesday asked Congress for a short-term extension of the law to "provide time for the selection and confirmation" of a permanent director." But he stuck with Pulte as the acting head and said he wants to begin downsizing intelligence agencies. WATCH: What to know about Trump's controversial pick of Bill Pulte for acting spy chief "We can't let them extort us," Trump said of Democrats. Senate Republicans floated a two-week extension of the law after Trump's request, but it was immediately rejected by Democrats who argued that it's up to the president to replace Pulte. WATCH: Trump says Pulte isn't 'permanent' pick for national intelligence chief after GOP pushback As the bill stalled in the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson announced the House would hold a vote Thursday on a two-week stopgap even as the chances of passage appeared slim. "We're going to ask every member here to do the right thing," Johnson said. "We cannot allow that to go dark." House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said if Trump wants a shot at a short-term extension, he needs to pull the Pulte appointment. Pulte is a "disgraceful individual" and a "partisan political hack" who is deeply unqualified for the job, Jeffries said. WATCH: Bill Pulte 'deeply unqualified' to lead U.S. intelligence efforts, Jeffries says GOP leaders lobby the White House, to no avail Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump