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The Trump administration spent approximately $9.5 billion in 2025 on paid administrative leave for federal employees as part of cost-cutting measures that included mass firings and the dissolution of agencies like USAID. A key factor was a “deferred resignation program” introduced early in Trump’s second term, which resulted in nearly 140,000 federal workers receiving salary payments even after agreeing to leave their positions by September 2025. The Government Accountability Office reported that this program alone cost about $6.7 billion.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In 2025, the Trump administration spent an estimated $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers, primarily due to a deferred resignation program initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The DOGE, led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, aimed to shrink the government's size and cost structure. During this period, approximately 140,000 federal employees opted into the program, accepting offers to resign while still receiving full pay until September 2025. This resulted in a 435% increase in administrative leave costs from 2023 to 2025, with around $6.7 billion allocated specifically for this deferred resignation initiative. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) defended the program, arguing that despite the initial high cost, it saved taxpayers an estimated $40 billion annually thereafter by reducing the federal workforce by over 271,000 employees as of July 2025.
Written for “DOGE Buyout Costs” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.65, but every quote it verified points right, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 13706: score contradicts its own evidence · logged 2026-09-16
The Trump administration spent an estimated $9.5 billion last year on paid administrative leave for federal workers as it pushed to cut costs by shrinking the government, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Tuesday.
uncertain
it → spend → report
Agencies’ use of paid administrative leave jumped by 435% from 2023 to 2025, the report found, and salary costs from such leave rose sixfold.
asserted
costs → pay → leave
That coincides with President Donald Trump’s decision in 2025 to create the Department of Government Efficiency led by tech billionaire Elon Musk, which enacted mass firings and dissolved the U.S. Agency for International Development.
asserted
which → coincide → Development
Much of the increased leave cost — about $6.7 billion — came from salary paid through a DOGE-era “deferred resignation program,” GAO found.
asserted
GAO → increase → program
Nearly 140,000 federal employees opted into the program, according to the Office of Personnel Management.
uncertain
employees → opt → Management
It allowed for federal workers who agreed to quit in early 2025 to still be paid through September.
asserted
who → allow → September
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.
asserted
House → respond → report
The GAO report emphasized that its numbers were estimates, noting that OPM “does not know the actual costs of the paid administrative leave used for workforce reduction efforts, including the deferred resignation program.”
asserted
OPM → emphasize → program
“To calculate long-term savings, OPM needs to know short-term costs of paid administrative leave used for these efforts,” the report explained.
asserted
report → calculate → efforts
“However, OPM cannot easily and accurately do this because the paid administrative leave used for workforce reduction efforts is reported with other types of general paid administrative leave.”
asserted
leave → do → leave
The deferred resignation program was unveiled just days into Trump’s second term, and federal workers received a “Fork in the Road” email laying out their options.
asserted
workers → unveil → options
Musk, who had quickly risen to the highest echelons of power in the administration, had previously sent an email with the same subject line to X employees, where he reshaped the company’s workforce.
asserted
he → rise → workforce
At the time of the program’s announcement, then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that if federal workers “don’t want to work in the office and contribute to making America great again, then they are free to choose a different line of work, and the Trump Administration will provide a very generous payout of 8 months.”
During Trump’s second term, the federal workforce has lost more than 271,000 employees as of July, according to data published by OPM.
uncertain
workforce → say → OPM
The figure includes voluntary and involuntary departures.
asserted
figure → include → departures
The data indicates that between 2015, the earliest year provided, and 2025, when Trump took office again, the federal workforce grew every year.
asserted
workforce → indicate → office
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