The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on Tuesday became the first major national security agency to offer voluntary buyouts to its entire workforce as part of President Donald Trump’s broader plan to reduce the size of the federal government and reshape it to align with his priorities.
A CIA spokesperson revealed that the buyout offers gave federal employees the option to resign in exchange for about eight months of pay and benefits, according to a WSJ report.
The offers were made to align with the goals of the new CIA Director, John Ratcliffe, the unidentified spokesperson said.
Ratcliffe, a former member of the House of Representatives and Director of National Intelligence during Trump’s first term, was confirmed as the CIA director soon after the latter began his second term.
Earlier, the buyout offers had not been extended to most national security roles, recognizing their vital importance in ensuring the country’s security. However, Ratcliffe personally decided to include the CIA in this initiative as part of his broader effort to ensure the agency supported the administration’s “national security priorities.”
“Director Ratcliffe is moving 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,” Reuters quoted the CIA spokesperson as saying.
As of now, it is not clear whether the CIA’s buyout offer comes with the same terms as the broader federal program, and whether all employees will be eligible for the buyout.
Some specialized roles and expertise areas may be excluded from the offer, suggesting that the initiative was more limited compared to buyouts offered to non-national security civil servants. The timing of departures from critical areas could also be adjusted for flexibility, the CNN reported.
The Office of Personnel Management had mentioned that some employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence could participate, but not all positions will be eligible.
Trump and some of his allies have criticized certain elements within the CIA, claiming they were part of a “deep state” working to undermine his administration.
There are concerns within the administration that the CIA has become too focused on intelligence analysis, and, as a result, paying less attention to its covert operations and intelligence collection efforts, which are managed by the Directorate of Operations.
Meanwhile, the buyout program has been criticized by some as a “purge,” though Trump officials have denied these claims.
The upcoming layoffs, referred to internally as “Reductions in Force,” are expected to begin after Thursday’s deadline for workers to accept the buyout offer.
Last week, the White House had extended a similar buyout offer to 2 million civilian federal employees. They were given the chance to leave voluntarily and receive pay and benefits through Sept. 30, as part of the Trump administration’s effort to shrink the workforce.
Unions representing U.S. government employees quickly filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to block the buyout plan, arguing against the proposed changes.
