by Joe
2.5-Minute read
Let the next outrage from the left begin! In a significant move, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced on Tuesday that it would offer voluntary buyouts to its employees, mirroring a similar initiative recently extended to millions of federal workers. According to reports, the buyout package would provide CIA personnel with approximately eight months of salary and benefits in exchange for their voluntary resignation.
The decision, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, appears to be part of a broader effort to realign the agency’s focus with the priorities set by the Trump administration. While the same buyout option was made available to over 2 million civilian federal employees last month, it initially excluded those in national security roles. Now, the CIA has joined the initiative, though it remains unclear whether its employees face the same Thursday deadline to accept the offer, as stipulated by the Office of Personnel Management.
In addition to the buyouts, the agency has temporarily halted hiring and is reviewing conditional job offers to ensure they align with its revamped objectives. These include intensifying efforts to combat drug cartels and countering China’s influence, according to an aide to CIA Director John Ratcliffe. The aide also revealed that the agency plans to shift more resources toward the Western Hemisphere, targeting nations not traditionally seen as U.S. adversaries.
Under Ratcliffe’s leadership, the CIA is reportedly exploring ways to leverage espionage to strengthen the president’s hand in trade negotiations with Mexico, as well as deploying its operatives to disrupt Mexican drug cartels. Ratcliffe, who took the helm of the agency earlier this year, had reportedly urged the White House to extend the buyout program to the CIA, believing it would help create a more dynamic and mission-focused organization.
A CIA spokesperson emphasized that the buyouts are part of a broader strategy to reinvigorate the agency. “Director Ratcliffe is moving swiftly to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the Administration’s national security priorities,” the spokesperson said. “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.”
It remains to be seen whether other agencies within the U.S. intelligence community, which comprises 18 distinct services, will follow suit and offer similar buyout packages to their employees.
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