$9.5B Vanish – Millions Paid Not To Work

Empty legislative chamber with green upholstered chairs and wooden desks — Photo: Denis Kuvaev / Shutterstock

A government watchdog says taxpayers covered $9.5 billion in salaries for federal employees on paid leave in 2025, much of it tied to a new deferred resignation program.

Story Highlights

Government Accountability Office estimated $9.5 billion in 2025 paid administrative leave salaries, a sixfold jump from 2023.
About $6.7 billion linked to the deferred resignation program that placed employees on paid leave before exit.
Roughly 154,000 workers, nearly 7% of the federal civilian workforce, were reportedly on paid leave in 2025.
Office of Personnel Management guidance authorized this leave to speed workforce restructuring and long-term savings.

GAO Flags A Sharp Spike In Paid Leave Costs

The Government Accountability Office reported that agencies spent an estimated $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave in 2025. That marked a sixfold increase from 2023 and a 435 percent rise in use, based on payroll and time-and-attendance records. These figures came as agencies carried out a rapid restructuring push. The use of paid leave at this scale is unusual, given earlier GAO work showing administrative leave is normally a small share of time and cost.

Media summaries of the watchdog’s work said about $6.7 billion of the 2025 total related to the deferred resignation program. That program offered employees a set future resignation date and placed many on paid administrative leave until their exit. The estimate drew on payroll data and internal time-keeping, not advocacy numbers alone. While strong, the public material does not show every agency table behind the totals.

How The Deferred Resignation Program Worked

The Office of Personnel Management told agencies to reassign or eliminate duties for workers who accepted deferred resignation and to place them on paid administrative leave until the end of the period, unless needed to transition duties. OPM’s legality memorandum answered “yes” when asked if employees may be placed on leave during the program. OPM said using this leave served the government’s interest by speeding realignment to a leaner, more efficient workforce.

Department guidance and templates reinforced that message. OPM’s administrative leave fact sheet and policy template allowed administrative leave to support governmentwide or agency-specific deferred resignation efforts when leaders judged it in the interest of the agency or the government as a whole. Health and Human Services told participants they were expected to be placed on administrative or other leave by a set date, showing agencies implemented the practice in concrete terms.

How Many Employees Were Affected, And Why It Matters

One report tied to the watchdog’s review said more than 154,000 federal workers were placed on paid leave in 2025, close to 7 percent of the civilian workforce. That scale explains the large price tag and the shock many taxpayers feel. Supporters argue the leave was a short, lawful bridge to lasting savings. Critics see a costly stopgap that paid people not to work while agencies sorted out plans and headcount.

Federal employees were paid $9.5 billion not to work in 2025 under DOGE.

As part of the Trump-Musk DOGE program to shrink the federal work force, paid administrative leave costs rose by 435%.https://t.co/JFC8dJFIMt

— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) September 15, 2026

Conservatives want a thinner, accountable government that respects taxpayers and the Constitution. Any plan promising savings must show them, in dollars and timelines the public can verify. The watchdog’s headline number is clear. The long-term scorecard is not fully public yet. That gap invites waste and weakens trust. Agencies should release the full data tables, monthly leave counts, and net staff reductions so citizens can judge whether the 2025 costs bought real, lasting efficiency.

What To Watch Next

Congress and the administration can tighten the guardrails. Leaders should require agencies to cap administrative leave used for restructuring, limit it to clear cases, and post quarterly dashboards on positions cut, duties consolidated, and contractor backfills. The Office of Personnel Management and the Government Accountability Office should publish agency-by-agency results, so we can see where the program trimmed fat and where it stalled. Transparent targets and deadlines protect taxpayers and keep reforms on track.