Independent U.S. regulator overseeing Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the 11 FHLBanks
President Donald Trump has signed a $70 billion package to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection through the end of his term, ending a months-long impasse that began after two civilians were killed during January immigration operations. Republicans passed the measure through budget reconciliation after Democrats demanded enforcement safeguards and blocked funding earlier this year.
President Donald Trump has named Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency director and chair of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as acting director of national intelligence. Pulte will keep his housing posts, has no known intelligence experience and can serve up to 210 days without Senate confirmation, prompting bipartisan concern about politicising the intelligence community.
The New York Times, The Guardian, CNBC, Al Jazeera and other outlets report that Donald Trump has nominated Todd Blanche to serve as attorney general, moving from acting to permanent head of the Justice Department. The nomination faces a Senate confirmation battle amid scrutiny of Blanche’s ties to the Epstein files, the $1.8 billion anti-weaponisation fund and past actions at the DOJ.
The Section 702 surveillance law is set to lapse this week. President Trump has named Bill Pulte as acting DNI, triggering bipartisan concern and stalling renewal talks while lawmakers debate guardrails and timing. A Senate gridlock persists as Republicans and Democrats clash over the scope of surveillance and the president’s chosen interim leader.
President Donald Trump has delayed Jay Clayton’s Senate confirmation and said Bill Pulte will remain acting director of national intelligence. Trump has tied progress on renewing Section 702 surveillance authority and Clayton’s confirmation to passage of a voter ID bill and has ordered Pulte to cut ODNI staff and return employees to their home agencies.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the president can remove leaders of most independent federal agencies, overturning the 1935 Humphrey’s Executor precedent, while carving out an exception for the Federal Reserve. The decisions leave Lisa Cook in place for now but open the door for presidents to exert new control over agencies such as the FTC, shifting regulatory power toward the White House.
The interim Director of National Intelligence has begun a new round of firings within the U.S. intelligence community, as President Trump presses for rapid staff changes. The White House and DNI have not commented. The move follows reports that the administration aims to remove officials deemed loyal to opponents and to expand access to sensitive data.