Senate Republicans have raised unusually vocal doubts about U.S. President Donald Trump’s pick to replace Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence.
In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump tapped Bill Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to succeed Gabbard in the cabinet position in an acting capacity after she announced in May that she was resigning to focus on her husband’s cancer diagnosis.
Although he did not name Pulte, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), former Senate majority leader, issued a statement on Wednesday saying that the DNI, a role created in response to the Sept. 11 attacks, required deep expertise on national security issues.
“Very few Senate-confirmable positions come with statutory eligibility requirements. There are good reasons why the director of national intelligence is one of them,” McConnell stated.
“Anyone performing this role of such immense public trust must have the extensive national security experience required by statute, and no nominee who falls short of this requirement will earn my vote,” he stated.
Pulte, 38, has a private-sector background in private equity and home construction, but no known experience with national security topics.
Under law, he can serve for 210 days as acting director before his position would need to be confirmed by the Senate. Gabbard said she would resign her position effective June 30, and it’s not clear when Pulte will formally begin as acting DNI.
McConnell was the lone Republican to oppose Gabbard’s nomination in 2025, when she was confirmed in a 52-48 vote that otherwise followed party lines.
McConnell’s statement follows similar expressions of outright disapproval of Pulte from some Senate Republicans and cautious doubts from others.
At a hearing on Wednesday, Sen. Tom Tillis (R-N.C.) asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent about media reports that he once threatened Pulte.
“Did you actually tell Pulte you were going to punch him in the face?” Tillis asked.
“No, sir,” Bessent replied. “I actually said I was going to kick his a**.”
“Good, I share the emotion,” Tillis said. “I made it clear I’m not going to support Pulte for DNI.”In an interview with CNBC earlier on Wednesday, Tillis said that Pulte was “an incendiary attack dog” with no chance of confirmation.
Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) told reporters on Tuesday that Pulte was not qualified for the position, The Hill reported.
Tillis is not seeking re-election after he opposed Trump’s signature spending legislation, and Cassidy and Cornyn lost their primary elections after Trump endorsed their opponents.
Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) likewise expressed doubts about Pulte’s experience with national security issues but stopped short of saying that they would oppose his nomination.
“I don’t even know whether he has a security clearance,” said Collins, who sits on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and helped create the role of director of national intelligence.
Pulte has gained a reputation for being willing to criticize political opponents, which is uncommon for the head of a regulatory agency.
In 2025, as Trump and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell clashed over interest rates, Pulte wrote that Powell was a “national disgrace” and called for Congress to investigate him.
The office of the director of national intelligence has faced criticism under the tenure of Gabbard, a former Democratic congresswoman, for playing an overly politicized role and for her unorthodox foreign policy views. Gabbard’s former chief of staff at ODNI, Joe Kent, resigned as head of the National Counterterrorism Center in March in a letter that accused Israel of dragging the United States into war with Iran.
Democrats have slammed Pulte’s appointment, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) calling him a “Trump puppet.”
“A guy who can file such baseless, political and outrageous charges against political office holders he doesn’t like can’t be entrusted to protect our national security,” Schumer said in a Senate floor speech on Tuesday.
Trump’s most fervent backers in Congress continued to applaud the appointment on Wednesday.
“The left and D.C. establishment are melting down over POTUS’s selection of Bill Pulte,” Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) wrote in a post that Pulte retweeted. “POTUS was elected to lead the executive branch and has every right to surround himself with America First people he trusts to carry out his agenda.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Sen. Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) acknowledged that Pulte would face a difficult nomination process.
“If he’s somebody they want in that position permanently, he’s got a lengthy road ahead of him,” Thune said.
