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The Trump administration spent $9.5 billion on employee administrative leave in 2025, marking a sixfold increase from 2023 due to federal workforce reduction efforts through buyout offers. According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, approximately 144,312 employees accepted the buyout offer, leading to an unprecedented use of paid administrative leave that peaked in July 2025. The report questions the accuracy and transparency of the administration's savings claims related to these workforce reduction measures.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
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, under President Donald Trump and the leadership of tech billionaire Elon Musk at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), the U.S. government spent an estimated $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers. This figure represents a 435% increase from 2023 to 2025, largely due to a deferred resignation program that offered employees full pay and benefits until September 2025 if they agreed to resign in early 2025. Approximately 140,000 federal workers took the voluntary buyout offer. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report highlighting this cost increase while also noting potential limitations in the reported data. Critics argue that these expenditures were intended to reduce the size of the federal workforce by around 271,000 employees but may have been wasteful despite claimed long-term savings.
Written for “DOGE Buyout Costs” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 14477 (medium confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-17
The Trump administration spent $9.5 billion on employee administrative leave costs in 2025, a sixfold increase from 2023 that was spurred by the administration's push to cut down the federal workforce.
asserted
that → spend → workforce
According to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report published Tuesday, the use of paid administrative leave increased by 435% from 2023 to 2025.
uncertain
use → accord → 2025
They calculate that $6.7 billion of this was due to employees who opted into the Deferred Resignation Program, the administration's buyout offer to federal employees that was part of efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to shrink the government.
asserted
that → calculate → government
By comparison, administrative leave salary costs for 2023 and 2024 combined were $3.2 billion, according to the GAO's report.
uncertain
costs → combine → report
The resignation program was overseen and offered by the federal Office of Personnel Management in January 2025 to incentivize federal government employees to leave various agencies.
asserted
program → oversee → agencies
The buyout program allowed employees who opted in to resign or stop working but still receive pay through Sept. 30, 2025.
asserted
who → allow → Sept.
The Trump estimated in their report that 144,312 employees accepted the buyout offer, according to administrative leave data.
uncertain
employees → estimate → data
that 200,000 federal employees would opt into the program, though the GAOThe report states that paid administrative leave peaked in July 2025, when 2.5 million of the 3 million leave workdays reported that month were due to the DRP.
asserted
million → opt → DRP
Scott Kupor, OPM director, said Wednesday's report failed to highlight the difference between "a one-time expense ($9.5 billion) to reduce the size of the federal government by 270,000 employees and the $40 billion per year savings in taxpayer dollars that this reduction provides."
asserted
reduction → say → that
"That 400% return on investment is a massive benefit to the taxpayer," he said in a statement.
asserted
he → say → statement
DOGE had claimed, through its webpage called the "different GAO report released last month, this number was .
asserted
number → claim → webpage
That report said that DOGE was not transparent about how it calculated this number and could not provide "sufficient information to verify the method used" to calculate 96% of its reported savings.
,"
uncertain
it → say → savings
that $110 billion of federal funding had been cut through their efforts to slash federal contracts, leases and grants.
asserted
billion → cut → contracts
According to aWednesday's report said that the GAO ran into limitations with the administrative leave data reported by the agencies, and their report states that OPM "does not know the actual costs of the paid administrative leave used for workforce reduction efforts" because the DRP-associated administrative leave efforts were lumped in with the general paid administrative leave numbers.
uncertain
efforts → accord → numbers
They also said they were unable to determine if the long-term savings goals that the leave program was meant for were actually met.
asserted
program → say → that
"Without a mechanism to track paid administrative leave for workforce reduction efforts, federal leaders may not have the data needed to understand whether government-wide cost saving goals are being met," the report states.
uncertain
report → track → data
The GAO recommended the personnel office to address the transparency of their paid administrative leave data, and to create a new category for paid administrative leave used to support workforce reduction efforts.
asserted
office → recommend → efforts
Data from OPM states that 271,000 employees have left the federal government since President Trump began his term in January 2025.
asserted
Trump → state → January
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