Newsman: The Central Intelligence Agency offered buyouts to almost its entire workforce Tuesday, saying it wanted to bring the agency in line with U.S. President Donald Trump’s priorities.
The buyouts were part of an effort by newly confirmed CIA Director John Ratcliffe to ensure that the CIA workforce was responsive to the Trump administration’s national security agenda according to report published by USA TODAY quoting a CIA official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The move is also part of a broader strategy to bring new energy to the spy agency and provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, the official said while speaking in anonymity with USA TODAY.
The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, which also said those new agency goals include targeting drug cartels, Trump’s trade war and undermining China.
The offer is different than the “Fork in the Road” buyout that the Trump administration has sent to employees at many other U.S. agencies, and includes voluntary early retirement and resignation options. It will also not be available to all spies and analysts, especially those working on high priority issues. The agency does not disclose its budget or the number of people it employs.
The report of buyout offers is in line with a massive makeover of the U.S. government embarked on by the Trump administration, which has fired and sidelined hundreds of civil servants in first steps toward downsizing the bureaucracy and installing more loyalists.
The White House last week offered 2 million civilian full-time federal workers an opportunity to stop working this week and receive pay and benefits through Sept. 30 as Trump seeks to slash the size of the government.
Earlier on Tuesday, unions representing U.S. government employees filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s plan to offer buyouts to federal workers.
