Federal Government Paid $9.5 Billion to Employees Not Working in 2025
A Government Accountability Office report detailed the cost of deferred resignation programs and administrative leave aimed at shrinking the federal workforce.
The federal government paid employees $9.5 billion not to work in 2025 as part of initiatives to reduce the federal workforce, according to a report released Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO estimated that $6.7 billion of this total was associated with the deferred resignation program.
This program, an initiative by the Department of Government Efficiency, resulted in a 435% increase in paid administrative leave costs last year, six times the amount spent in 2023 on such leave. The initiative began with an email to federal workers titled "Fork in the Road," offering a one-time payment for employees to leave the workforce, with pay extending through September 2025.
Federal data indicates that the federal workforce decreased by approximately 216,000 employees in 2025. Nearly 140,000 of these workers accepted the government's buyout offer. Some departments have begun rehiring individuals and contractors for critical roles while also proceeding with plans to relocate staff from Washington to regional hubs, which could contribute to further attrition.
The Trump administration has stated that the Department of Government Efficiency has led to hundreds of billions in savings, although outside experts have expressed skepticism and difficulty in verifying these figures. Concurrently, the national debt and federal spending have both increased during this period. The Office of Personnel Management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.