The CIA has offered voluntary buyouts to its employees, becoming the latest federal agency targeted by President Donald Trump's efforts to reshape the government. This move follows similar buyouts offered to millions of federal workers, initially excluding national security agencies like the CIA. The agency claims these changes are necessary to ensure the workforce is aligned with the administration's national security priorities. However, critics warn that deep cuts to the CIA and other agencies could jeopardize national security.
The CIA confirmed on Wednesday that it has offered buyouts to employees who voluntarily resign, the latest group of workers targeted in President Donald Trump ’s push to transform the federal government . The agency, along with other national security agencies, were initially exempted from the buyouts that have already been offered to millions of federal workers, who would receive about eight months of salary if they agree by Thursday to leave their jobs.
However, the CIA offers suggest that few corners of the government will escape the sweeping changes Trump has initiated. John Ratcliffe, Trump’s new CIA director, has promised big changes, claiming that the CIA has strayed from its original focus on human-collected intelligence. In a statement sent to The Associated Press, the CIA said the buyout offers are part of an effort by Ratcliffe to move swiftly “to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the Administration’s national security priorities.” “These moves are part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position the CIA to deliver on its mission,” the agency said about the buyouts, which were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Since taking office last month, Trump has launched an attempt to gut and reshape several federal agencies, most notably the U.S. Agency for International Development, which has been facing significant budget cuts.National security experts have warned that deep cuts to the CIA and other agencies could put lives at risk by hampering their mission or by weakening relationships between the U.S. and its allies. Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the senior Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, urged CIA employees to carefully weigh the offer. “There are few government agencies more essential to our national security than the CIA,” Warner said in a statement. “A lot of federal employees, including at the CIA, are my constituents, and I’ve been warning them that these ‘buyouts’ are empty promises, since Congress hasn’t approved any money to do it. I’d hate to see people resign and then get stiffed like they have been in the past.” Though the precise number is classified, the CIA employs thousands of people engaged in the collection and analysis of foreign intelligence, both at its headquarters in Virginia as well as overseas postings. The agency is also focusing on harnessing technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing while also expanding the agency’s use of human intelligence collection
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