Deferred Resignations Now Offered to Nat Security Agencies as Deadline Hits
It’s February 6. That means the deadline to accept the Trump Administration’s deferred resignation offer, offered in the so-called “Fork in the Road” email is here. And while federal workers across the agencies decide whether to take the offer, national security agencies are starting to offer the program as well.
The Wall Street Journal reports the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) became the first national security agency to offer the deferred resignation option, as the Trump Administration seeks to remake the agency in its image. The CIA offered the option to its entire workforce.
NPR reports that the buyout offer was also extended to employees at the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
The CIA is the first national security agency to offer the deferred resignations, which were offered to most civilian employees last week, except for those in national security, immigration, and other select roles.
Federal employees have the option of resigning now and being paid until September 30, while being placed on administrative leave.
The CIA is also freezing hiring for those with conditional job offers. The hiring may be canceled if the applicant is not deemed the right fit for President Trump’s view of the agency.
A CIA spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal the move is meant to “infuse the agency with renewed energy.”
According to reports, the Trump Administration wants the CIA to put more focus on the Western Hemisphere, which includes spying on drug cartels and Mexico’s government to gain leverage in trade talks. The CIA’s focus has been on countries perceived to be America’s greatest threats, including China.
Senator: ODNI Workforce Too Large
Meanwhile employees at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) are also being given the choice of exiting.
This comes as Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) wants to put a “size cap” on the ODNI workforce. The Senator made the comments in the hearing for Tulsi Gabbard, the president’s nominee to lead ODNI.
“The ODNI staff is measured in the thousands, when it should be measured in the dozens, maybe a few hundred,” Senator Cotton said in his opening statement. “I promise, that’s going to change. I intend to get personnel at the ODNI back to their home agencies doing real intelligence work, not bureaucratic make-work.”
Still, longtime national security advocates say the buyouts threaten to drain agencies of critical expertise. Others, like Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), warned workers to beware of the offer.
“A lot of federal employees, including at the CIA, are my constituents, and I’ve been warning them that these ‘buyouts’ are empty promises, since Congress hasn’t approved any money to do it. I’d hate to see people resign and then get stiffed like the contractors on President Trump’s construction projects,” said Senator Warner.
Unclassified Emails Risk Employee Identities
Today, media outlets are reporting that the CIA shared via unclassified email a list of new employees hired in the past two years with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). The emails included the first names and last initial of CIA employees on their probationary period, raising alarms the information could fall into the wrong hands.
“I am very concerned that the CIA shared identifying details about its officers on an unclassified system. Those details are secret for a reason — because protecting the identities of CIA employees is critical to their safety and mission, a mission that helps keep Americans safe every day,” said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.