A sharp surge in federal workers receiving paid administrative leave has driven costs to unprecedented levels under recent workforce reduction efforts, according to a new Government Accountability Office report. The practice increased by 435% between 2023 and 2025, with the government spending nearly $10 billion in 2025 alone to compensate employees for not working. The spike follows initiatives by a newly formed "department of government efficiency" aimed at downsizing federal agencies, raising questions about financial sustainability and operational impact. The report highlights a sixfold increase in spending on such leave compared to earlier years.
GAO report shows how use paid administrative leave rose by 435% from 2023 to 2025 and incurred a sixfold costThe 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.As part of efforts by the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), spearheaded by Elon Musk, federal agencies’ use of paid administrative leave rose 435% from 2023 to 2025 – costing six times what the government spent in 2023 – according to a new report released on Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), an independent watchdog. Continue reading...
