DOGE Buyout Costs
6 outlets
Each outlet's article on this story, most articles first
6 reporters
- Megan BrandNBC News
- Owen ScottThe Independent
- Emily HallasWashington Examiner
- Aaron NavarroCBS News
- Maya YangThe Guardian
- Eric BoehmReason
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Cite
DOGE Buyout Costs. (2026, October 13). The Aporia. https://the-aporia.com/event/13706
“DOGE Buyout Costs.” The Aporia, 13 Oct. 2026, https://the-aporia.com/event/13706.
“DOGE Buyout Costs.” The Aporia, October 13, 2026. https://the-aporia.com/event/13706.
Dated the day this page was built. The link always leads to this event, even after the stories are regrouped.
Since January 2023, the Trump administration has reduced the federal US workforce by approximately 355,000 employees, leaving many struggling to find new jobs while others have been rehired after the administration determined that too many positions had been eliminated.
What happened
The outlets' own sentences, most widely reported first. Hover or tap one to see who reported it.
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.
Agencies’ use of paid administrative leave jumped by 435% from 2023 to 2025, the report found, and salary costs from such leave rose sixfold.
“The GAO report fails 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,” a spokesperson said.
What each outlet says
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 →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 →Analysis
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How it changed
- 16 Sep
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.
- 17 Sep
The US government paid federal workers $9.5bn not to work in 2025 as part of the Trump administration’s attempts to shrink the federal workforce.
Coverage 7 articles
Suggested from 6 outlets (1 flagged as leaning left, 1 right): the fullest account of the event and its publisher is declared as reporting rather than commentary. Note that EVERY account of this event was flagged as carrying a position, including this one (leans left). There is no neutral option here; this is the fullest.
18 Sep The Trump Administration Paid Federal Workers $9.5 Billion To Skip WorkThe 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…Reason
17 Sep US government paid federal employees $9.5bn not to work amid Doge cuts – reportIn 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…The Guardian
17 Sep Federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on salary costs for administrative leave in 2025The 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.CBS News
16 Sep Feds paid $9.5 billion in leave costs in 2025 due to DOGE buyoutThe 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…CBS News
16 Sep DOGE’s ‘Fork in the road’ buyouts cost government nearly $7 billion: WatchdogA 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…Washington Examiner
16 Sep DOGE caused government to pay $9.5B to federal workers not to workThe 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…The Independent
16 Sep Trump administration spent $9.5B last year on employee leave, driven by DOGE-era cutsThe 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…NBC News
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Built 2026-10-13 from 7 articles. Every sentence on this page is quoted from the linked article; nothing was written by a model except the Summary and the items marked AI, which cite their sources, and the questions and labels under "Disputed". Photos are from the outlets that covered the story, never from articles our check marks sensitive.