US government spent $9.5bn paying federal workers not to work, watchdog finds
A new Government Accountability Office report finds federal agencies paid $9.5bn in administrative leave in 2025 amid Trump administration workforce cuts, with $6.7bn tied to the deferred resignation program.
The US Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent watchdog, reported on Tuesday that federal agencies' spending on paid administrative leave surged 435% between 2023 and 2025, reaching six times the amount spent in 2023. The increase coincides with efforts by the "department of government efficiency" (Doge), led by Elon Musk, to shrink the federal workforce under the Trump administration.
According to GAO, paid administrative leave allows an excused absence without loss of pay or leave time, meaning taxpayers cover full salaries for employees who are not performing job duties. The number of workdays recorded under this leave rose from about 4 million in 2023 and 4.4 million in 2024 to roughly 21.6 million in 2025.
Of the $9.5bn total spent in 2025, $6.7bn was linked to the administration's deferred resignation program. That program accounted for about 70% of all paid administrative leave used that year, with 144,312 employees across 76 reviewed agencies reporting leave taken under it.
Since January 2023, the federal workforce has shrunk by roughly 355,000 employees. Many of those let go have struggled to find new employment, while some have been rehired after officials determined too many positions had been cut.
Criticism of the rollout
Douglas Pasternak, research director at Public Citizen's Trump Accountability Project, described the overhaul as haphazard, saying the administration gave little forethought to the cuts. He pointed to delayed Social Security check deliveries, longer wait times at Veterans Affairs hospitals, cuts to federal firefighters, and reductions at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which has since tried to rehire staff.
Senate appropriations committee vice-chair Patty Murray criticized the layoffs in a statement, saying billions of taxpayer dollars were spent to push out experienced workers across government, including those researching cancer cures and maintaining national parks, calling it an expensive way to weaken government functions.
