Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said he believes the United States will be paying the price for the massive cuts to federal programs and the workforce “literally for years.”
Warner joined CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, where host Jake Tapper asked him about the reported cuts to the CIA, which is headquartered in his state.
“We are undermining what I think would be a potential next generation of workers in the intelligence domain,” Warner said. “In fact, for that matter, across the federal government, we’re going to be paying the price for this first 100 days-plus of rapid cuts, I think, literally for years.”
Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he has raised concerns about cuts to the CIA and the impact it will have on the country’s intelligence.
Such cuts undermine younger generations who want to go into intelligence work, as they could potentially find work in technology sectors and “make much more money,” he argued.
The administration has plans to cut more than 1,000 employees at the CIA and other intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency, in the latest push to downsize the federal government.
Warner highlighted security, defense and intelligence concerns stemming from the Trump administration. His comments come just days after national security adviser Mike Waltz stepped down and was nominated to be the administration’s United Nations ambassador.
The Virginia Democrat noted that Waltz will face a “brutal confirmation hearing” from the Senate after the Signal group chat scandal, and he called for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be dismissed over the incident as well.
“Not a day goes by that I don’t hear people’s morale is plummeting because of the lack of confidence in these leaders,” Warner said.
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