Trump administration plans to cut thousands of employees at spy agencies

The Trump administration plans to significantly shrink the workforce of the Central Intelligence Agency and other U.S. intelligence agencies, with the aim of cutting thousands of employees over several years, two sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

The Trump administration plans to significantly shrink the workforce of the Central Intelligence Agency and other U.S. intelligence agencies, with the aim of cutting thousands of employees over several years, two sources with knowledge of the matter told NBC News.

The administration’s cost-cutting approach at the CIA and other intelligence agencies suggests a more calibrated effort than its strategy at other federal departments, with some agencies — such as the U.S. Agency for International Development — essentially dismantled.

Lawmakers have been told that the downsizing would cut about 1,000 to 1,200 employees at the CIA, the sources said. The agency does not disclose the size of its workforce, but leaked documents in 2013 showed the agency had more than 21,000 employees.

The Washington Post first reported on the planned personnel cutbacks.

The CIA declined to comment on details of planned reductions to the agency’s workforce. It was unclear how the cuts would affect different departments.