DOGE’s push to shrink the federal workforce cost the Trump administration $6.7 billion for employees not to work

The largest mass resignation in history has become a multi-billion dollar headache for the U.S. government.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) analyzing payroll data found a 435% increase in federal agencies’ use of administrative leave between 2023 and 2025, amounting to $9.5 billion in paid salaries to off-the-clock employees. The watchdog attributed $6.7 billion of the total to the deferred resignation program implemented under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as part of its efforts to cut down the federal workforce.

Civilian salaries and benefits make up about 5.5% of the federal budget, yet were among the first of Elon Musk’s cuts to federal spending. In February 2025, DOGE sent out a “Fork in the Road” email to 2 million federal workers, offering them the opportunity to voluntarily resign while receiving full pay and benefits through the end of September that year. Nearly 140,000 employees took the deal, according to federal data. 

OPM Director Scott Kupor disputed the GAO’s findings, claiming in a recent Substack post personnel cuts will save taxpayers money over time following the removal of these individuals from the government payroll.

“The GAO report fails to........

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