The Trump administration has reportedly instructed senior FBI officials to either resign or face being fired by Monday.

This move comes as President Donald Trump has pledged sweeping reforms to the FBI and the Justice Department, claiming both were weaponized against him and his supporters during the Biden administration. Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, assured lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee that he would work to “de-weaponize” the bureau.

NBC reported that those asked to step down were “executive assistant directors” who had been promoted under former FBI Director Christopher Wray. One of the officials received an email warning that he could be removed “from the rolls of the FBI” by Monday morning, according to the New York Times.

“I was given no rationale for this decision, which, as you might imagine, has come as a shock,” the unnamed official said. 

The move comes as substantial changes could be in store for the FBI if the Senate confirms Kash Patel, Trump’s FBI director nominee who served as Deputy Director of National Intelligence during the president’s first term.

Patel has been a vocal critic of FBI leadership. He was also a key figure in investigating the FBI’s discredited probe into fabricated allegations of ties between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia.

“The only way to truly remove weaponization and politicization from law enforcement is to follow the Constitution,” Patel said during his Judiciary Committee hearing, saying the bureau should focus on violent crime and drug overdoses. 

Democrat senators consistently questioned Patel about his intentions regarding investigations into Wray or other allies of President Biden, like retired Army General Mark Milley. Patel responded by stating that he was not interested in pursuing past matters and would focus on addressing violent crime if confirmed.

“America deserves a better brand of justice and I’m going give it to them,” Patel said, saying that he would not target political opponents if confirmed. Patel also told Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) that he was unaware of any plans to fire any agents involved in the bureau’s investigations into Trump, though several associated with former special counsel Jack Smith’s cases against Trump have been terminated.

In addition to cuts at the FBI, the Trump administration has been focused on reducing the size of the federal workforce across the government. On Tuesday, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) sent an email to two million federal workers offering severance pay through September 30 if they resign by February 6.

The OPM message hinted at significant upcoming cuts, noting it could not guarantee that everyone’s position would be secure amid the incoming reforms.