The agency seal on the floor of the lobby at the CIA, in Mclean, VA.
Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images
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Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Employees at the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence were sent deferred resignation offer letters this week, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
These are the first examples of the national security and intelligence workforce being included in broader efforts to downsize the federal government by the Trump administration. The move is causing panic within the broader national security community that years of experience, talent and secrets could soon be heading out the door from the CIA and ODNI headquarters in McLean, Va., and the NSA’s in Fort Meade, Md.
The offer was extended to “any employee” at the agencies, as part of an effort to align the intelligence community with President Trump’s agenda, though sources suggested there might be exceptions for especially sensitive or high priority positions.
“Director Ratcliffe is moving swiftly to ensure the CIA workforce is responsive to the administration’s national security priorities,” said a CIA spokesperson who spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity. “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 the CIA to deliver on its mission.”
An ODNI spokesperson who spoke to NPR on condition of anonymity confirmed that ODNI staff also received the deferred resignation offer.
The NSA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Pentagon declined to speak on behalf of the NSA.
Few details were available about the specific terms of the offer letters.
The CIA and ODNI declined to confirm whether the offer was structured the same way as the one made across federal civilian agencies in which employees would be paid for eight months work after resigning.
That offer was originally sent to federal employees with the email subject line “Fork in the Road,” mirroring language provided to employees of the social media company X, then Twitter, after it was acquired by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Now, Musk and the government team called DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, have been visiting and reviewing the systems at federal agencies over recent weeks with the blessing of Trump. Their access to sensitive data and servers have already led to widespread protests and legal challenges.
According to one source familiar with the matter, some government employees were told that the “Fork in the Road” emails included code that would track where the message was sent after being delivered, in order to catch potential leakers.
The news of the offer letters at NSA comes just days after the agency had ordered its museum, the National Cryptologic Museum, to cover up plaques honoring female and minority alumni with distinguished records of service in the field. After NSA alumni visited the museum to protest, drawing attention on social media to the brown paper coverings, the NSA reversed course and allowed the coverings to be removed.
The CIA, NSA, and ODNI would not be the only agencies losing employees whose mission includes contributing to global security.
At the United States Agency for International Development, which distributes billions in foreign aid, all direct hire employees will be put on administrative leave by Friday. While Trump has accused the agency of fraud and abuse of resources, he failed to cite concrete evidence of malfeasance.
Meanwhile, USAID employees around the world contribute to diplomatic and aid missions that allow for U.S. influence in regions that are vulnerable to adversaries like Russia and China, an argument previously made by Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
