The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has offered voluntary buyouts to all its employees, as per reports from US media.
'To infuse the agency with renewed energy'
A CIA spokesperson, who spoke anonymously to CNN, said that the move is part of Director John Ratcliffe’s efforts to “ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration’s national security priorities.”
The spokesperson added that this initiative forms “part of a holistic strategy to infuse the agency with renewed energy.”
CIA freezes the hiring process
In addition to the buyouts, the CIA has also stopped hiring processes for applicants who had already received conditional job offers, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A senior aide to Ratcliffe, also unnamed in the report, revealed that some of these offers might be withdrawn if the applicants do not meet the new requirements aligned with the agency’s revised objectives.
These include addressing drug cartels, managing Trump’s trade war policies, and countering China’s influence. The CIA has not disclosed details regarding its budget or workforce size.
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The decision to offer buyouts aligns with broader changes within the US government under the Trump administration.
So far, hundreds of civil servants have been dismissed or sidelined as part of an initiative to downsize federal agencies and bring in individuals more aligned with the administration’s views.
Last week, the White House extended an offer to two million full-time federal employees, allowing them to leave their roles while still receiving pay and benefits until September 30.
Earlier on Tuesday, unions representing federal workers resorted to legal action in an attempt to block the Trump administration’s plan to introduce buyouts for government employees.
(With inputs from agencies)