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Federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on salary costs for administrative leave in 2025. (2026, September 17). CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/federal-agencies-spent-95-billion-on-salary-costs-for-administrative-leave-in-2025/
“Federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on salary costs for administrative leave in 2025.” CBS News, 17 Sept. 2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/video/federal-agencies-spent-95-billion-on-salary-costs-for-administrative-leave-in-2025/.
“Federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on salary costs for administrative leave in 2025.” CBS News, September 17, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/video/federal-agencies-spent-95-billion-on-salary-costs-for-administrative-leave-in-2025/.
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In 2025, during Donald Trump's second term, the U.S. government spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave for federal workers, a significant increase from previous years due to mass firings and buyout programs initiated by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Approximately 140,000 employees accepted deferred resignation offers allowing them full pay until September 30, 2025, while not performing work duties, contributing to a 600% rise in administrative leave salary costs from 2023 to 2025. This program was part of broader efforts to reduce the federal workforce by over 271,000 employees since Trump took office. Critics like Senator Patty Murray argue this approach wasted taxpayer dollars, while supporters claim long-term savings of up to $40 billion annually, despite controversy over its financial impact and operational effectiveness.
6 outlets covered “DOGE Buyout Costs”.
One AI summary per outlet of its latest article on this story, written from that article alone and checked against it. Open the article for the outlet's own words.
The Government Accountability Office reported that federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on salary costs for employees on administrative leave in 2025. This expenditure increased due to efforts to reduce the size of the federal workforce, according to CBS News correspondent Aaron Navarro.
Federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on salary costs for administrative leave in 2025 (this article)2 articles from CBS News on this storyThe 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…
Trump administration spent $9.5B last year on employee leave, driven by DOGE-era cuts →The Government Accountability Office reported that federal workers were paid $9.5 billion not to work from 2023 to 2025 under the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program (DRP), which aimed to reduce government size. Senator Patty Murray criticized this move, calling it wasteful and detrimental to essential services like cancer research and park maintenance. In contrast, the Office of Personnel Management…
DOGE caused government to pay $9.5B to federal workers not to work →A watchdog report by the Government Accountability Office reveals that the Trump administration spent nearly $7 billion on buyouts aimed at reducing federal bureaucracy through Elon Musk’s “Fork in the Road” initiative. Launched shortly after President Trump took office in January 2025, this program offered federal workers deferred resignations with eight months of pay and benefits. About 140,000 employees accepted…
DOGE’s ‘Fork in the road’ buyouts cost government nearly $7 billion: Watchdog →In 2025, the US government paid $9.5 billion in compensation to federal employees who were on paid administrative leave as part of efforts by the "department of government efficiency" (Doge), aimed at shrinking the workforce under the Trump administration. According to a Government Accountability Office report, this figure represents a 435% increase from 2023 and includes $6.7 billion linked to deferred resignation…
US government paid federal employees $9.5bn not to work amid Doge cuts – report →The Trump administration paid federal workers approximately $9.5 billion in 2025 to avoid work through a program called administrative leave. This amount marks a significant increase from previous years and is largely attributed to a deferred resignation initiative that encouraged around 140,000 employees to resign by February 2025 while continuing to receive full pay until the end of September. Approximately $6.7…
The Trump Administration Paid Federal Workers $9.5 Billion To Skip Work →How the first headlines put it
DOGE’s ‘Fork in the road’ buyouts cost government nearly $7 billion: Watchdog
US government paid federal employees $9.5bn not to work amid Doge cuts – report
Trump administration spent $9.5B last year on employee leave, driven by DOGE-era cuts
DOGE caused government to pay $9.5B to federal workers not to work
Feds paid $9.5 billion in leave costs in 2025 due to DOGE buyout
