Trump administration paid federal employees $9.5 billion not to work in 2025 under DOGE plan

A Government Accountability Office report reveals the federal government spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave in 2025, representing a sixfold increase since 2023. Approximately $6.7 billion went to the Trump administration's deferred resignation program, which placed nearly 140,000 departing workers on paid leave. OPM Director Scott Kupor defends the program, projecting $20 billion in annual savings, while critics like Senator Patty Murray condemn it as a costly waste of expertise.

Deferred resignation program costs

• ▪The Partnership for Public Service estimated the salary costs of the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025 at $4.5 billion, while Public Citizen estimated the cost was at least $11 billion
• ▪A Government Accountability Office report published on September 15, 2026, estimated that the federal government spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave in 2025
• ▪The Government Accountability Office estimated that $6.7 billion, or approximately 70% of the 2025 paid administrative leave total, was spent on the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025 through an email titled 'Fork in the Road.'

DOGE workforce reduction initiative

• ▪The Department of Government Efficiency's website claimed $215 billion in estimated savings, though the Government Accountability Office found some of these estimates were incorrect or unsupported
• ▪According to federal workforce data, 139,963 federal employees left the government through the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025 through the 'Fork in the Road' email offer in 2025
• ▪The Trump administration launched the deferred resignation program, known as the 'Fork in the Road' offer, in January 2025, offering federal employees the option to resign while receiving full pay and benefits through September 30, 2025
• ▪The Partnership for Public Service identified 20,557 hires by June 2026 in the same types of roles as employees who left through the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025 through the 'Fork in the Road' email offer

Paid administrative leave surge

• ▪In 2025, almost 100,000 federal employees took more than 90 days of paid administrative leave, compared to fewer than 600 employees in 2023 and 2024
• ▪Federal employees took 21.6 million workdays of paid administrative leave in 2025, compared to 4 million workdays in 2023 and 4.4 million workdays in 2024
• ▪The U.S. federal government's use of paid administrative leave increased 435% from 2023 to 2025, while associated salary costs rose sixfold

Long-term savings projections

• ▪Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor stated that the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025 is expected to save the federal government $20 billion annually
• ▪Democratic Senator Patty Murray criticized the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025, stating that the Trump administration wasted billions of dollars to push out experienced experts across the government

Data quality limitations

• ▪The Government Accountability Office reported that the actual cost of the deferred resignation program (DRP) launched by the Trump administration in January 2025 is unknown because paid administrative leave is not tracked separately in federal payroll systems
• ▪Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor agreed to develop a new paid administrative leave category focused specifically on workforce reduction efforts

Debatable claims

• ▪The Trump administration's deferred resignation program was a wasteful use of taxpayer money
• ▪The federal government should not use paid administrative leave for workforce reduction
• ▪The deferred resignation program compromised the federal government's operational capacity