CIA Buyout Offers Meet with Frustration and Anger from Agency Personnel
Washington D.C. - The Trump administration's offer to extend deferred resignations to members of the intelligence community as part of a federal buyout plan has sparked widespread frustration and anger among agency personnel.
The offers, which began being sent out last week, allow eligible employees to leave their roles yet continue to receive pay through September. However, not all intelligence workers are eligible for the buyouts, and certain resignations will be reviewed before a decision is made about whether they can be accepted.
According to sources, many in the intelligence community have reacted with dismay to the policy, citing concerns that it will jeopardize national security interests by allowing highly trained officials to leave their posts. Former CIA officer Darrell Blocker described the situation as "dire" and warned of the loss of capabilities and institutional knowledge.
The buyouts are part of a broader effort to reduce the size of the federal workforce, and they have been met with skepticism from lawmakers, including Rep. Jim Himes, who called the policy a "mistake" that "hollows out" essential agencies like the CIA.
While the agency has downplayed concerns about the policy's impact, former officials are alarmed by reports that the CIA shared a list of new employees with the White House Office of Management and Budget in compliance with executive orders. This move has raised questions about the potential for counterintelligence risks and the administration's willingness to prioritize national security above all else.
"I do not think the administration is taking that loss seriously," said Charles Kupperman, a former deputy national security adviser during Trump's first term. "What capabilities are we going to lose? What is the plan to replace that capability when they walk out the door?"
The buyout offers may have significant implications for U.S. national security interests, particularly in the coming decade as the current crop of intelligence analysts and operations officers near retirement age.
In a statement, the CIA said it is "part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy" but former officials are skeptical of this rhetoric.
"We are not seeing any evidence that the administration has thought through the long-term consequences of this policy," said Andrew Bakaj, an attorney who once served in the intelligence community's office of inspector general. Our adversaries abroad are celebrating these purges."