The United States’ Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, has reportedly offered buyouts to its entire staff in what officials claimed was an effort to bring the agency in line with President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Fox News cited a report by the Wall Street Journal saying that the CIA is the first to tell its employees they can quit and get eight months of pay and benefits.
According to the report, the Trump administration had last month offered about 2 million federal employees buyouts to be paid through September.
It, however, stated that some categories were exempt from taking advantage of the buyout, including federal workers with national security roles.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe was said to have reportedly told the White House to extend the same offer to employees within the CIA, hoping it could pave the way for “a more aggressive” agency, an aide told the Wall Street Journal.
Fox News said it learned that even though the CIA was exempt, Ratcliffe personally decided he wanted the agency to participate.
The report went on to say that Ratcliffe on Thursday emailed the Office of Personnel Management and asked for a process that would enable the CIA to email its workforce and offer the same opportunity.
Ratcliffe also chose to offer the option of early retirement to long-tenured officers, while also halting on bringing on any officer offered a job late during the President Joe Biden’s administration to ensure their position aligns with the Trump administration’s priorities.
