US government paid federal employees $9.5bn not to work amid Doge cuts – report
Summary
The U.S. government paid federal workers $9.5 billion in 2025 for paid leave when they were not working. This happened because of workforce reductions and a deferred resignation program during President Donald Trump’s administration, which aimed to shrink the federal workforce.Key Facts
- The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that paid administrative leave costs rose 435% from 2023 to 2025.
- The government paid $9.5 billion to federal employees in 2025 for time off without working.
- $6.7 billion of this was related to the deferred resignation program.
- Federal workdays on paid administrative leave increased from about 4 million in 2023 to 21.6 million in 2025.
- Around 144,312 employees used paid administrative leave through the deferred resignation program.
- Since January 2023, the federal workforce decreased by about 355,000 employees.
- The workforce cuts caused issues like delays in social security checks and longer wait times for Veterans Affairs services.
- Some agencies, such as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, have started rehiring staff after the cuts.
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