US taxpayers have handed over $10 billion to the government to pay its employees not to work. According to a new analysis, more than 154,000 federal workers were put on paid leave in 2025 alone, accounting for nearly 7% of the workforce. This staggering cost is equivalent to about $20 million per day.
The Trump administration's strategy has been described as an "assault on the federal workforce" by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), a group that estimates the government wasted billions of dollars on paid leave. Peer claims the administration violated the law with extended paid leaves, but enforcing this would require navigating a complex administrative or legal process.
The issue is particularly contentious because many employees who were put on paid leave are from key federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has environmental justice employees stuck in legal limbo. Critics argue that the Trump administration's move was an example of "human capital waste" and undermined government efficiency, despite staffing shortages in certain areas.
The Administrative Leave Act (ALA) limits imposition of paid leave to no more than 10 workdays in a calendar year, with limited exceptions. However, the Trump administration carved out separate classifications of paid leave, claiming it only applies to investigative paid leave – a move that Peer's senior counsel Peter Jenkins described as "a hell of a way to run a railroad."
The government faces significant hurdles when trying to hold the administration accountable. The Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits spending on employees who should not be on leave, but enforcement is complicated due to the complex regulatory landscape and the Trump administration's attempts to hamstring the response.
Peer has filed an administrative complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, which could potentially lead to further action by the Merit Systems Protection Board. However, this process is fraught with obstacles, including a lack of quorum on the board after the Trump administration fired all Democrats and a limited jurisdiction over paid leave cases.
A federal lawsuit could be possible, but it would require showing that a plaintiff was harmed by the administration's actions – a hurdle that seems insurmountable given the regulatory barriers. The government's failure to develop clear rules for implementing the ALA until 2025 only added to the complexity of enforcement.
The Trump administration's strategy has been described as an "assault on the federal workforce" by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer), a group that estimates the government wasted billions of dollars on paid leave. Peer claims the administration violated the law with extended paid leaves, but enforcing this would require navigating a complex administrative or legal process.
The issue is particularly contentious because many employees who were put on paid leave are from key federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which has environmental justice employees stuck in legal limbo. Critics argue that the Trump administration's move was an example of "human capital waste" and undermined government efficiency, despite staffing shortages in certain areas.
The Administrative Leave Act (ALA) limits imposition of paid leave to no more than 10 workdays in a calendar year, with limited exceptions. However, the Trump administration carved out separate classifications of paid leave, claiming it only applies to investigative paid leave – a move that Peer's senior counsel Peter Jenkins described as "a hell of a way to run a railroad."
The government faces significant hurdles when trying to hold the administration accountable. The Anti-Deficiency Act prohibits spending on employees who should not be on leave, but enforcement is complicated due to the complex regulatory landscape and the Trump administration's attempts to hamstring the response.
Peer has filed an administrative complaint with the US Office of Special Counsel, which could potentially lead to further action by the Merit Systems Protection Board. However, this process is fraught with obstacles, including a lack of quorum on the board after the Trump administration fired all Democrats and a limited jurisdiction over paid leave cases.
A federal lawsuit could be possible, but it would require showing that a plaintiff was harmed by the administration's actions – a hurdle that seems insurmountable given the regulatory barriers. The government's failure to develop clear rules for implementing the ALA until 2025 only added to the complexity of enforcement.
I'm low-key shocked by this $10 billion handout to gov't employees not working 
. It's like, I get that staffing shortages are real, but come on, that's a whole lotta cash 
. And what's with these "assault on the federal workforce" claims 
? Sounds like just another example of gov't inefficiency 
. If they're really trying to cut costs, maybe they could've looked into other areas, like actual program funding 
. I mean, it's not like we haven't seen this before, but still... $20 million a day? 
. And don't even get me started on the regulatory landscape 
... it's like they're trying to make it as hard as possible for someone to actually hold them accountable 
.
, and I'm like totally mesmerized by his skills. I mean, have you ever seen anyone do that? It's like he's defying gravity or something. And the crowd was going wild 
! Anyway, it got me thinking about how some people can just wow us with their talents without even trying (just like a politician who manages to get away with... well, let's just say "interesting" decisions 
. And now we're talking about millions of bucks being wasted on it... it just seems so wasteful 
. I'm not saying the government isn't gonna get slammed for it, but it's hard to see how they can actually get called out for it without getting lost in all the red tape and rules 
$10 billion is wild, like they're literally paying people not to work 
. And don't even get me started on the complexity of it all - it's like trying to solve a puzzle blindfolded 
it's like they're being held hostage by the admin 
staff shortages everywhere but they don't want to admit it's a problem 
meanwhile we gotta foot the bill for all this leave