WASHINGTON — Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, introduced legislation on Tuesday that would require any acting Director of National Intelligence to be a Senate-confirmed national security official, following controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s appointment of an acting intelligence chief without prior intelligence experience.
The proposed measure, titled the Do Not Interfere in Our Intelligence Act of 2026, would amend the line of succession for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) and limit the president’s ability to appoint acting intelligence leaders from outside the Senate-confirmed national security ranks, according to Warner’s office.
Warner introduced the bill after Trump appointed Bill Pulte, who also serves as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting Director of National Intelligence. Pulte assumed the position this month following the departure of former DNI Tulsi Gabbard and amid delays in the confirmation process for Trump’s nominee for the permanent post, Jay Clayton.
Under the legislation, the Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence would automatically become acting DNI if the position becomes vacant. If that office is also vacant, the acting director would have to be selected from a list of Senate-confirmed intelligence officials within ODNI or elsewhere in the intelligence community, according to a summary released by Warner’s office.
“The intelligence community should be led by experienced, Senate-confirmed professionals — not by whoever happens to be most willing to carry out the president’s whims and vendettas,” Warner said in a statement announcing the bill.
Warner argued that Pulte’s appointment bypassed multiple Senate-confirmed intelligence officials with national security experience. The Virginia senator has repeatedly questioned Pulte’s qualifications, citing his lack of professional experience in intelligence, national security, law enforcement, or military service.
The White House has defended Pulte’s appointment, describing him as a reform-minded administrator. Trump nominated Clayton to serve as permanent DNI, but the Senate confirmation process stalled after the administration postponed a scheduled hearing earlier this month.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence oversees and coordinates the activities of 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. The leadership dispute has unfolded alongside broader debates in Congress over intelligence oversight and the future of surveillance authorities that recently expired after lawmakers failed to reach agreement on renewal legislation.
The bill has been referred for congressional consideration, though its prospects remain uncertain. As of Tuesday, no Republican senators had announced support for the measure, and Senate leadership had not scheduled it for committee action.
