A government watchdog report released on 16 September 2026 found the U.S. spent $6.7–$9.5 billion in 2025 paying federal workers to depart under the DOGE workforce reduction program. The spending contradicted the initiative's stated cost-saving aims.
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apple.news/ANFLAxW5rRvC... The federal government spent an estimated $9.5 billion paying employees to not work last year, with most of the cost tied to a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative to shrink the feder...
time.com/article/2026... The U.S. spent $6.7 billion last year on paid leave for workers departing under a DOGE workforce reduction program, a new government report found.
DOGE Initiative Resulted in Federal Employees Getting Paid Billions to Not Work, New Government Report Finds https://www. yahoo.com/news/politics/articl es/doge-initiative-resulted-federal-employees-000000027.html?.tsrc=1416&ncid=crm_-1674642-20260916-276--A&bt_user_id=p%2F3kJ4oJsDuZrWqM%2FHNsz6PIFrIkyucDwKYoKRa9EWz7%2FDc3jvdaPJvWH1Ecp2kpL6YRkIpkD%2FBN9fgR9iHD62eTI82WjgTFjrgNGs96WAopu1oAIj3o2xaXjY