GAO: Federal paid-leave bill tops $9.5B as downsizing push takes hold

A Government Accountability Office report finds the Trump-era push to shrink the federal government coincided with a 435% jump in paid administrative leave, totaling about $9.5 billion last year. Roughly $6.7 billion of that came from a deferred resignation program that paid about 140,000 workers who agreed to quit in 2025 through September. The White House did not comment. The GAO notes cost estimates are uncertain and tied to workforce-reduction efforts, while data show the federal workforce has declined by more than 271,000 since 2015 as of July.