Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. The Trump administration spent a whopping $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers last year, all in the name of shrinking the government and saving taxpayers money. I mean, who needs actual numbers when you’ve got a plan, right? According to a new estimate by a congressional watchdog, this move represented a sixfold increase in paid leave salary costs compared to 2023. I’m no math whiz, but that sounds like a whole lot of money to me.
The Government Accountability Office said in a report that federal agencies’ use of paid administrative leave skyrocketed by 435% last year, driven largely by the controversial deferred resignation program pushed by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which was spearheaded by the billionaire Elon Musk. Because, you know, nothing says “government efficiency” like paying people to not work. Administration officials had said the effort would save taxpayers billions of dollars, but I’m still waiting to see those savings.
The program, which was primarily offered early in President Donald Trump’s second term, allowed federal staffers to resign but first be placed on paid leave for several months without having to work as an incentive to sign up. Some agencies offered more than one round of the program, which proved far more popular in later months as the extent of the Trump administration’s overhaul of the federal workforce became clearer and more employees feared for their jobs. I guess you could say it was a “success” in that sense.
GAO estimated that about $6.7 billion was spent on the deferred resignation program, through which more than 144,000 employees were put on leave. The US Office of Personnel Management, or OPM, does not know the actual costs of paid administrative leave used to shrink the federal workforce, GAO said, which noted that its figures could be overstated because of limitations with the data reported by agencies. OPM may also be unable to determine if long-term savings goals are being met because of the data issues, GAO added. Sounds like a real mess, if you ask me.
CNN has reached out to the White House and OPM for comment, but I’m not holding my breath. OPM’s data shows that just under 140,000 workers participated in the deferred resignation program, which was launched days after Trump took office in January 2025 through an email with the subject line “Fork in the Road.” Unions had warned workers at the time not to take the offer, questioning whether the government would actually pay them through September, and unsuccessfully sued to halt it. You can’t make this stuff up, folks.
OPM defended the deferred resignation program in August 2025 in response to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s report that criticized the effort as squandering taxpayer money. “We designed the DRP as a practical, humane, and voluntary option to accelerate workforce transitions in a system that desperately needed movement,” Scott Kupor, OPM’s director, said in a statement at the time. “Employees were given the option to retire early and receive eight months of paid leave; in return, the government will save $20+ billion in costs, annually.” Sure, because paying people to not work is always the most cost-effective solution.
Citing the new GAO report, Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, slammed the Trump administration for putting so many experienced federal employees on paid administrative leave. “After promising to cut waste, Trump instead set billions upon billions in taxpayer dollars on fire to quite literally pay people not to do jobs they loved—from researching cancer cures to taking care of our National Parks, and so much else,” she said in a statement, adding, “This was the most expensive way imaginable to make government worse.” Bless their hearts, indeed.
In conclusion, the Trump administration’s plan to shrink the government and save taxpayers money ended up costing a whopping $9.5 billion in paid administrative leave for federal workers. I guess you could say it was a “success” in that it certainly made headlines. As I finish my coffee, I’m left wondering what other creative ways the government will come up with to spend our tax dollars. Maybe next time they’ll just pay us all to stay home and watch Netflix – now that’s a plan I can get behind. 🙄
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
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