GAO: Trump Deferred Resignation Plan Drove $9.5 Billion In 2025 Paid Leave Costs
A Government Accountability Office report released Sept. 15 says federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave in 2025, and the GAO attributes $6.7 billion of that to employees who opted into the Deferred Resignation Program.[1]
The GAO estimates 144,312 federal employees accepted the DRP buyout, far fewer than the administration's projection of 200,000, and the program let participants stop working while continuing to receive pay through Sept. 30, 2025.[1] Paid administrative leave tied to the program peaked in July 2025, when about 2.5 million of roughly 3 million reported leave workdays that month were linked to the DRP.[1]
The Deferred Resignation Program was offered beginning January 2025 and was overseen by the Office of Personnel Management as part of the administration's DOGE workforce-reduction push.[1] OPM Director Scott Kupor defended the effort, saying a one-time $9.5 billion cost to cut the workforce by about 270,000 would save roughly $40 billion per year and represented a "400% return on investment." CBS News
GAO warned OPM cannot know the precise DRP-related leave costs because agencies did not track those hours in a separate category and recommended creating a specific reporting line for paid administrative leave used for workforce reductions.[1] A separate GAO report in August also found the administration's earlier claim of $110 billion in savings was inflated and that officials could not verify 96% of the reported savings, an assessment that undercuts the administration's projections.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- The GAO report published Tuesday, September 15, 2026, attributes $6.7 billion of the $9.5 billion in 2025 paid administrative leave costs to employees who opted into the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP).
- The GAO report estimates 144,312 federal employees accepted the DRP buyout offer, compared with the administration’s projection that 200,000 would opt in.
- The Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) — overseen by the Office of Personnel Management and offered beginning January 2025 — allowed participants to resign or stop working while continuing to receive pay through September 30, 2025.
- Paid administrative leave tied to the DRP peaked in July 2025, when about [2.5 million] (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/doge-deferred-resignation-program-administrative-leave-cost-2025/) of roughly 3 million reported leave workdays that month were linked to the program.
- The GAO report says OPM does not know the precise DRP-related leave costs because those hours were not tracked separately and recommends OPM create a specific reporting category for paid administrative leave used for workforce reductions.
- OPM data cited in the report indicate 271,000 federal employees have left government employment since President Trump began his second term in January 2025.
- OPM Director Scott Kupor defended the program, saying a one-time $9.5 billion cost to reduce the federal workforce by 270,000 employees will save $40 billion per year and represents a “400% return on investment.”
- A separate GAO report released in August 2026 found DOGE’s public claim of $110 billion in savings was inflated and that DOGE could not provide sufficient data to verify 96% of the reported savings.
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS News aired a video segment at 7:10 p.m. Central on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, highlighting the GAO finding that federal agencies spent $9.5 billion on administrative leave costs in 2025.
- The segment explicitly links the 2025 administrative leave spike to "the DOGE push to cut down the federal workforce," reinforcing that the workforce-reduction initiative is seen as the main driver of these costs.
- The GAO report published Tuesday, September 15, 2026, attributes $6.7 billion of the $9.5 billion in 2025 paid administrative leave costs to employees who opted into the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP).
- GAO estimates 144,312 federal employees accepted the DRP buyout offer, compared with the administration’s projection that 200,000 would opt in.
- The DRP, overseen by the Office of Personnel Management and offered beginning January 2025, allowed participants to resign or stop working but continue receiving pay through September 30, 2025.
- Paid administrative leave peaked in July 2025, when 2.5 million of about 3 million reported leave workdays that month were tied to the DRP.
- OPM Director Scott Kupor defended the program, saying a one-time $9.5 billion cost to reduce the federal workforce by 270,000 employees will save $40 billion per year and represents a "400% return on investment."
- A separate GAO report released in August 2026 found DOGE’s public claim of $110 billion in savings was inflated and that DOGE could not provide sufficient data to verify 96% of the reported savings.
- The latest GAO report says OPM does not actually know the precise costs of DRP-related leave because those hours were not tracked in a separate category and were lumped into general paid administrative leave data.
- GAO recommends that OPM improve transparency by creating a specific reporting category for paid administrative leave used for workforce reduction efforts and warns that without such tracking, leaders cannot verify whether cost-saving goals are being met.
- OPM data cited in the report indicate that 271,000 federal employees have left government employment since President Trump began his second term in January 2025.