U.S. Spent $9.5 Billion on Paid Leave to Shrink Workforce, GAO Reports

The U.S. government spent $9.5 billion in 2025 paying federal employees not to work while trying to reduce its workforce, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said. That is six times the cost in 2023. Paid leave days jumped 435% to 21.6 million. GAO describes this leave as excused absence with full pay and no charge to personal leave.