DOGE’s ‘Fork in the road’ buyouts cost government nearly $7B

Emily HallasSeptember 16, 2026

The article discusses a report on the Trump governance’s expenditure aimed at reducing the federal workforce.It states that nearly $7 billion was paid as part of initiatives to cut the size of the federal bureaucracy. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office reported that the government spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave, including $6.7 billion related to the Department of Government Efficiency’s program that incentivized federal employees to resign through deferred resignations, marking a important increase in administrative leave costs. The Trump administration defended this one-time expense, claiming it contributed to taxpayers saving approximately $40 billion annually.

The Trump administration paid nearly $7 billion as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday.

The Government Accountability Office said the government spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave, including $6.7 billion spent on the Department of Government Efficiency’s initiative to incentivize federal workers to leave their jobs via deferred resignations, marking a 435% increase in paid administrative leave costs. The Trump administration defended the “one-time” deferred resignation expense, saying it has helped save taxpayers overall $40 billion annually.