The CIA, whose work is often described as crucial for American security, is thus becoming the first intelligence agency to be affected by the Trump administration's attempt to buy out government employees, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The CIA has also introduced a hiring freeze and frozen the hiring processes for individuals who have already received job offers. This aims to ensure that future personnel work towards the agency's new goals, which include combating drug cartels, addressing China's actions, and implementing President Trump's trade war, according to the newspaper's sources.
A similar offer of severance pay until September was sent out last week to two million government employees at other agencies.
President Donald Trump and his close ally, super entrepreneur Elon Musk, have also shut down the aid agency USAID. Employees abroad have been "released from duty" and have 30 days to return home, according to media reports. A plan to shut down the Department of Education and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is also being drawn up, according to reports.
Efficientizing the government apparatus and reducing government spending was one of President Donald Trump's most prominent promises during the presidential campaign last autumn.
