Trump to Issue Major CIA Shake-Up

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The Trump administration is preparing to significantly reduce staffing across the CIA and other major U.S. intelligence agencies. The move is part of a broader effort to reshape the intelligence community in line with the administration’s national security priorities.

The Trump administration is initiating a major overhaul of the U.S. intelligence community, including a substantial reduction in staff across key agencies like the CIA and NSA. According to officials familiar with the plan, the CIA is expected to shrink its workforce by around 1,200 positions over the next few years, with thousands more job cuts anticipated across other intelligence agencies.

These changes, shared with members of Congress and later confirmed by multiple sources, will be implemented gradually, relying more on reduced hiring and voluntary retirements rather than mass layoffs. CIA Director John Ratcliffe is leading the effort, framing it as part of a broader realignment with President Trump’s national security priorities. The agency says the goal is to improve performance and promote new leadership, while focusing more intensely on human intelligence and strategic global threats, particularly from China.

The restructuring also includes the removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs from the intelligence community—an action that has triggered legal pushback, temporarily halting the dismissal of 19 DEI personnel. Meanwhile, some newly hired employees are expected to be let go as part of the reorganization.

The NSA is facing similar changes, with voluntary resignation offers already extended to staff. At the same time, President Trump has replaced top leadership within military intelligence, underscoring his administration’s intent to streamline operations and assert greater control over intelligence agencies.

While no final timeline has been set, the shift marks one of the most significant transformations within the U.S. intelligence apparatus in years, with the full impact yet to be determined.

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