Key Democrat says FISA at risk with Trump promotion of Pulte

President Donald Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte as acting director of national intelligence makes passage of a bill renewing spy powers far harder, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee said.

Senator Mark Warner said on ABC's This Week that Pulte's appointment threw a "live grenade" into negotiations between Republicans and Democrats to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. That program, which started after 9/11, allows intelligence agencies to surveil foreign nationals' communications even if U.S. citizens are part of the communication. The current authorization for those powers expires on June 12.

"The idea that we're going to allow Mr. Pulte to be potentially in charge of how this tool is used or manipulated, that's going to be a very uphill path to convince Democrats," Warner, who represents Virginia, said in a separate appearance on CNN's State of The Union.

Senator Tom Cotton, who chairs the Senate intelligence committee, and Senator Chuck Grassley, who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, also warned in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday that there may be a "significant gap in foreign-intelligence collection" due to Democratic opposition

At least seven Senate Democrats would have to vote in favor in order to re-authorize Section 702, but they have threatened to block any extension if the White House doesn't withdraw Pulte's appointment. Warner had been negotiating for months with Cotton in search of a compromise.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth criticized the delay on Sunday, posting on X that "Democrats are choosing to halt action on reauthorization, undermining national security and putting politics ahead of the safety of the American people."

Pulte, a Trump loyalist, has used his powers as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to launch investigations into the mortgages of perceived Trump opponents.

Republican Senator James Lankford told Fox News Sunday that Pulte was not "qualified for the long-term position" and that Trump was interviewing candidates for the permanent position. Republicans have said they want Section 702 extended without delay.

"If we go dark next week, right before the World Cup FIFA games and the 250th anniversary, that would be the most grossly irresponsible thing I've seen Congress do in my 22 years in office," House Republican Michael McCaul said on ABC's This Week.

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(With assistance from María Paula Mijares Torres and Katy O'Donnell.)

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This story was originally published June 7, 2026 at 6:26 PM.