CIA offers staff buyouts as Donald Trump looks to shrink workforce

As part of the offer sent to the workforce on February 4, employees could receive pay and benefits through Sept 30, without having to work

By Natalia Drozdiak

 

The Central Intelligence Agency has offered staff buyouts to shrink the workforce in line with the Trump administration’s broader job cuts across the government and to sharpen the spy service’s focus on top priorities like China.  

As part of the offer sent to the workforce on Tuesday, employees could receive pay and benefits through Sept 30, without having to work. It’s unclear how many will take the offer at the agency, where staff retention is high and workers often stay for decades.  

John Ratcliffe, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the CIA, promised in his Senate confirmation hearing to focus on the threats posed by China and expand the volume of intelligence that officers collect around the world.

 

 

“Director Ratcliffe is moving swiftly to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration’s national security priorities,” the CIA said in an emailed statement, adding the efforts were part of a 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 move, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, comes after 2 million federal workers were given similar offers as part of Trump ally Elon Musk’s efforts to cut government headcount and programs. That has initially excluded national security agencies but Ratcliffe decided to allow the CIA to participate.