US government paid federal employees $9.5bn not to work amid Doge cuts – report

GAO report shows how use paid administrative leave rose by 435% from 2023 to 2025 and incurred a sixfold cost

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.

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.