In a bold action to trim the bloated intelligence community, President Trump’s CIA plans to cut 1,200 jobs from the agency.
This long-overdue government downsizing targets agencies that many conservatives believe have become increasingly politicized and wasteful during the previous administration.
According to multiple reports, the Trump administration has initiated a significant workforce reduction at key intelligence agencies, including the CIA and NSA.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe is spearheading the effort to realign the agency with President Trump’s national security priorities.
These priorities include increased intelligence gathering from human sources and greater emphasis on the threat from China.
Over several years, 1,200 positions will be reduced in the CIA workforce, with similar cuts planned for the NSA and other intelligence agencies.
Rather than pursuing mass layoffs, the administration aims to achieve these reductions primarily through early retirements, reduced hiring, and voluntary resignations.
The CIA was the first US intelligence agency to join this voluntary redundancy program initiated by President Trump.
This strategic downsizing comes alongside other significant changes in US intelligence leadership.
The President recently fired the general leading the NSA and the Pentagon’s Cyber Command, signaling his determination to reshape America’s intelligence apparatus.
The administration has also eliminated controversial diversity, equity, and inclusion programs at intelligence agencies, though a judge has temporarily blocked the firing of 19 employees involved in these programs.
“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 CIA to deliver on its mission,” the agency stated.
As part of the restructuring, the CIA plans to dismiss junior officers with behavioral issues or those deemed unsuitable for intelligence work.
The agency offered buyouts to some employees in February, though the exact number of acceptances remains unclear.
Additionally, an unspecified number of recently hired employees are expected to be laid off as the agency streamlines its operations.
For many Trump supporters, these changes represent a welcome effort to drain the swamp within intelligence agencies that have faced criticism for becoming overly bureaucratic and politically biased.
Meanwhile, Congress has been informed about the planned reductions, though the DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard’s office has not commented on the changes.
The NSA has already started offering voluntary resignations to some employees as part of the broader restructuring of America’s intelligence community.
These workforce reductions reflect President Trump’s commitment to creating a more efficient, focused government that prioritizes America’s most pressing national security challenges while reducing bureaucratic bloat.
By cutting off excessive staffing and redirecting resources toward critical threats like China, the administration is fulfilling its promise to put America’s interests first and use taxpayer dollars more effectively.
