The CIA is planning to cut over 1,000 jobs over the course of the next few years amid the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to downsize, the New York Times reported Friday.
The NYT, citing officials briefed on the CIA’s plans, said the agency does not plan to conduct any mass firings. In March, the CIA reportedly let go of 80 recently hired employees.
Officers who worked on diversity issues have also been fired. A judge, however, has temporarily stopped the effort. At the end of March, Judge Anthony Trenga of the Eastern District of Virginia ordered the CIA to grant appeals to the 51 officers and to consider them for other jobs in the agency, the Times previously reported.
In the next waves of reducing the agency’s workforce, the CIA reportedly plans to use normal attrition, which includes resignations and retirements. (RELATED: Trump Admin Offering Millions Of Gov’t Workers ‘Payout’ If They Would Rather Step Aside Than Return To Work)
A spokeswoman told the NYT that CIA Director John Ratcliffe is “moving swiftly” to make certain that the agency’s workforce was “responsive to the administration’s national security priorities.”
The spokeswoman added that these changes will “provide opportunities for rising leaders to emerge, and better position CIA to deliver on its mission.”
She did not directly confirm the reduction plans to the Times.
Other intelligence agencies are eyeing reductions, including the National Security Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, according to the outlet.
The size of the CIA’s staff is not officially discussed, but it is believed the agency employs around 22,000 workers, the Times said.
The reduction comes amid the Trump administration’s effort to reduce jobs across federal agencies. In March, employees in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services were offered $25,000 to resign voluntarily.
On Saturday, POLITICO reported at least 15,000 employees in the U.S. Department of Agriculture have taken the administration’s offer to resign.
The CIA did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller’s request for comment.
