Doge cuts cost US taxpayers $10bn to cover workers’ paid leave, analysis finds
Analysis estimates Trump administration ‘wasted’ billions to compensate over 154,000 federal employees on leaveThe Trump administration “wasted” $10bn on paid leave, or paying workers to stay home, as part of the “department of government efficiency’s” assault on the federal...
<p>Analysis estimates Trump administration ‘wasted’ billions to compensate over 154,000 federal employees on leave</p><p>The Trump administration “wasted” $10bn <a href="https://peer.org/letter-to-opm-acting-director-charles-ezell-federal-employee-administrative-leave/">on paid leave</a>, or paying workers to stay home, as part of the “department of government efficiency’s” assault on the federal workforce, a new analysis by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) <a href="https://peer.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/12_30_25-letter-to-GAO-and-attachments.pdf">estimates</a>.</p><p>In a <a href="https://peer.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/12_30_25-letter-to-GAO-and-attachments.pdf">letter sent to</a> the Government Accountability Office (GAO), Peer estimates that more than 154,000 employees were put on paid leave in 2025, making up nearly 7% of the federal civilian workforce. That costs taxpayers approximately $10bn in compensation for workers who were staying home and not working.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/09/doge-taxpayer-costs-federal-workers">Continue reading...</a>
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