GAO Finds Billions in Exit Pay Tied to Trump’s Push to Shrink Federal Workforce
A GAO audit reports the Trump administration’s aggressive effort to shrink the federal workforce included a $6.7 billion paid-exit program for workers who quit, part of a broader push that cut the federal headcount by about 300,000 (13%) since 2024 to its smallest size in nearly two decades. The administration touts hundreds of billions in savings, while critics warn the strategy eroded expertise and left agencies understaffed.