The CIA is offering buyouts to its employees amid the Trump administration’s broader effort to shrink the size of federal government agencies.
Under the buyout program, CIA employees can receive eight months of pay, including benefits and entitlements, if they agree to resign. This move comes after the administration extended similar buyout offers to two million federal employees last week.
A CIA spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal that the initiative is part of an effort to “infuse the agency with renewed energy.” In addition to the buyout program, the agency has implemented a hiring freeze, and conditional job offers that had already been extended are now on hold, with some potentially being rescinded.
John Ratcliffe, who was recently sworn in as CIA director, has signaled a renewed focus on confronting US adversaries within the agency.
“To the brave CIA officers listening around the world, if all of that sounds like what you signed up for, then buckle up and get ready to make a difference,” he said. “If it doesn’t then it’s time to find a new line of work.”
A CIA spokesperson echoed this sentiment, stating, “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, provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position the CIA to deliver on its mission,” the spokesperson added, according to the Daily Mail.
The CIA does not publicly disclose its number of employees or budget. Meanwhile, the broader federal workforce affected by the administration’s buyout offers was reportedly given only a few days to decide.
President Trump has also ordered federal employees to return to their offices, rolling back work-from-home measures that had been expanded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
