In the name of efficiency, the federal government spent $9.5 billion in 2025 paying workers to do nothing — a 435 percent surge in administrative leave costs that stands as one of the more striking paradoxes of modern governance. The Department of Government Efficiency, tasked with shrinking the bureaucracy, instead discovered that removing workers from their posts without formally separating them carries its own steep price. It is a reminder that the machinery of government, once set in motion, rarely yields savings as cleanly as reformers imagine.
Federal Workers Cost $9.5B in Paid Leave Under DOGE Efficiency Push
Federal employees were placed on paid administrative leave, affecting their work status and employment continuity.