The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has asked all its employees to resign and receive benefits in the amount of eight months' salary, informed sources told CNN and The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

In their opinion, this is due to President Donald Trump’s decision of to reform the US bureaucratic apparatus and reduce the number of officials. And the CIA became the first US national security agency to be affected by this decision.

The assistant to CIA director John Ratcliffe, who is appointed by Trump, said that the move is part of an effort to ensure that CIA employees are aligned with the new US administration's national security priorities, and called it a comprehensive strategy to reinvigorate the agency.

Also, Ratcliffe personally decided that the agency should undergo Trump's reform, reports CNN. The latter's interlocutors added that it is not yet clear whether all CIA employees will be cut or whether this will affect only certain positions.

In an interview with WSJ, Ratcliffe's assistant noted that the CIA is now preparing to pay more attention to the Western Hemisphere and countries that are not considered US adversaries. In particular, the agency will take on the task of combating Mexican drug cartels and monitor the Mexican government due to a possible trade war.

According to CNN, some members of Trump's political team believe that in recent years the CIA has focused on analysis—and to the detriment of collecting classified intelligence and conducting covert operations.