Doge cuts cost US taxpayers $10bn to cover workers' paid leave, analysis finds

Source: The Guardian

Fri 9 Jan 2026 08.00 EST
Last modified on Fri 9 Jan 2026 12.53 EST


The 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 workforce, a new analysis by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) estimates.

In a letter sent to 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.

Peer alleges the Trump administration violated the law with extended paid leaves, but enforcement is complicated. It would require navigating a complex administrative or legal process, or a US attorney with the Donald Trump-controlled Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges.

“Spending over $10bn of taxpayer money to prevent people from working is a hell of a way to run a railroad,” said Peer senior counsel Peter Jenkins. “Ironically, this outrageous waste of human capital – when key federal agencies such as the National Park Service were horribly understaffed – was done in the name of government efficiency.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/09/doge-taxpayer-costs-federal-workers