Musk's bold attempt to reduce staff numbers impacts the intelligence community
Civilian intelligence personnel throughout the U.S. government have been presented with the deferred resignation agreement from the Trump administration and are uncertain about their eligibility for it.
TroibNews 
Staff members at a minimum of seven U.S. intelligence agencies have received deferred resignation offers from the Trump administration — indicating that the initiative, supported by Elon Musk, to significantly reduce the federal workforce is now affecting national security personnel, contrary to previous indications that these roles would be protected.
Since last Tuesday, full-time civilian employees of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the FBI, the NSA, the CIA, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have received versions of the resignation offer that first went out to around 2 million employees in late January, according to nine individuals who spoke anonymously about sensitive personnel issues.
The CIA was reported to have received offers by The Wall Street Journal, the ODNI by The Washington Post, and the NSA employees were noted in reports by The Record.
The Office of Personnel Management has specified that military personnel and those engaged in immigration and national security are exempt from the “Fork in the Road” offer, which ensures full-time civilian federal employees can receive pay through September if they agree to resign by February 6.
When intelligence staff members received the email or similar offers in the subsequent days, there was significant uncertainty. This message has led to confusion, particularly at the NSA and another Defense Department intelligence agency, as noted by two former senior intelligence officials in contact with their former colleagues. Agencies are unclear whether the recipients are indeed eligible to accept the offer posed in the email as the deadline approaches.
Following the initial communication from OPM on January 28, various departments and agencies have issued their own messages or modifications to the offer. This has prompted some employees within a Pentagon intelligence agency to eagerly consider the offer, even though it remains uncertain if they qualify due to their critical national security roles.
“This has the potential to create enormous chaos at the personal level, but also at the operational level,” remarked one former official, who was granted anonymity to avoid repercussions. “You just don't know who's going to come to work.”
Some personnel within the Pentagon were directly informed of the original offer from OPM on January 28, as per an email reviewed by PMG. The CIA received details about its deferred resignation package on Tuesday. ODNI personnel were informed last week, and employees in at least one other Pentagon intelligence agency got a similar resignation offer earlier this week, according to a third source.
A spokesperson for the NGA stated that employees who choose to accept the resignation offer might later be informed of their ineligibility “if it is assessed that there are potential national security implications for that vacancy.” This assessment would be made by the Secretary of Defense.
Requests for comments from representatives at the NSA and NRO went unanswered. A DIA spokesperson mentioned that the agency is “implementing OPM and DOD guidance regarding the deferred resignation program.” An FBI spokesperson noted that the agency “continues to provide all guidance received from OPM and DOJ to its employees."
The Department of Defense directed PMG to the Office of Personnel Management. An ODNI spokesperson confirmed that the deferred resignation offer had been made to all employees at the agency.
A congressional staffer, who also spoke anonymously regarding the resignation offers, indicated that notifications were sent to personnel at the DOD last week.
The Office of Personnel Management, the National Security Council, and the White House did not respond to a request for comments.
The concept of employing an aggressive deferred resignation package for federal workforce overhaul is widely seen as inspired by Elon Musk. The subject line of the initial OPM offers — “Fork in the Road” — mirrors a phrase Musk utilized in an email when he began reducing Twitter’s workforce.
The Trump administration has claimed that these proposals are essential for trimming a bloated federal workforce and removing disloyal employees who may obstruct President Donald Trump’s agenda. White House officials estimate that between 5 to 10 percent of employees may accept the offer, potentially saving the federal government around $100 billion annually.
Democrats and some former U.S. intelligence officials express concerns that this initiative will drive out skilled personnel while enabling the Trump administration to place loyalists in critical intelligence positions.
“If the administration actually wanted to streamline our intelligence community and increase focus on areas like China and drug trafficking, Trump and Musk would invest in the talented, experienced workforce already serving at the CIA,” stated Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.
“Instead, they offered a blanket ‘buyout’ that will serve only to hollow out the very agencies we call on to protect our national security,” he added.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Since last Tuesday, full-time civilian employees of the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the FBI, the NSA, the CIA, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence have received versions of the resignation offer that first went out to around 2 million employees in late January, according to nine individuals who spoke anonymously about sensitive personnel issues.
The CIA was reported to have received offers by The Wall Street Journal, the ODNI by The Washington Post, and the NSA employees were noted in reports by The Record.
The Office of Personnel Management has specified that military personnel and those engaged in immigration and national security are exempt from the “Fork in the Road” offer, which ensures full-time civilian federal employees can receive pay through September if they agree to resign by February 6.
When intelligence staff members received the email or similar offers in the subsequent days, there was significant uncertainty. This message has led to confusion, particularly at the NSA and another Defense Department intelligence agency, as noted by two former senior intelligence officials in contact with their former colleagues. Agencies are unclear whether the recipients are indeed eligible to accept the offer posed in the email as the deadline approaches.
Following the initial communication from OPM on January 28, various departments and agencies have issued their own messages or modifications to the offer. This has prompted some employees within a Pentagon intelligence agency to eagerly consider the offer, even though it remains uncertain if they qualify due to their critical national security roles.
“This has the potential to create enormous chaos at the personal level, but also at the operational level,” remarked one former official, who was granted anonymity to avoid repercussions. “You just don't know who's going to come to work.”
Some personnel within the Pentagon were directly informed of the original offer from OPM on January 28, as per an email reviewed by PMG. The CIA received details about its deferred resignation package on Tuesday. ODNI personnel were informed last week, and employees in at least one other Pentagon intelligence agency got a similar resignation offer earlier this week, according to a third source.
A spokesperson for the NGA stated that employees who choose to accept the resignation offer might later be informed of their ineligibility “if it is assessed that there are potential national security implications for that vacancy.” This assessment would be made by the Secretary of Defense.
Requests for comments from representatives at the NSA and NRO went unanswered. A DIA spokesperson mentioned that the agency is “implementing OPM and DOD guidance regarding the deferred resignation program.” An FBI spokesperson noted that the agency “continues to provide all guidance received from OPM and DOJ to its employees."
The Department of Defense directed PMG to the Office of Personnel Management. An ODNI spokesperson confirmed that the deferred resignation offer had been made to all employees at the agency.
A congressional staffer, who also spoke anonymously regarding the resignation offers, indicated that notifications were sent to personnel at the DOD last week.
The Office of Personnel Management, the National Security Council, and the White House did not respond to a request for comments.
The concept of employing an aggressive deferred resignation package for federal workforce overhaul is widely seen as inspired by Elon Musk. The subject line of the initial OPM offers — “Fork in the Road” — mirrors a phrase Musk utilized in an email when he began reducing Twitter’s workforce.
The Trump administration has claimed that these proposals are essential for trimming a bloated federal workforce and removing disloyal employees who may obstruct President Donald Trump’s agenda. White House officials estimate that between 5 to 10 percent of employees may accept the offer, potentially saving the federal government around $100 billion annually.
Democrats and some former U.S. intelligence officials express concerns that this initiative will drive out skilled personnel while enabling the Trump administration to place loyalists in critical intelligence positions.
“If the administration actually wanted to streamline our intelligence community and increase focus on areas like China and drug trafficking, Trump and Musk would invest in the talented, experienced workforce already serving at the CIA,” stated Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee.
“Instead, they offered a blanket ‘buyout’ that will serve only to hollow out the very agencies we call on to protect our national security,” he added.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
