GAO: Feds Spent $6.7B Paying Buyout Participants to Stay Home
A GAO report says the federal government spent about $6.7 billion in 2025 paying employees to stay home under deferred resignation buyouts, and the agency that ran the program cannot determine the exact cost.
The Government Accountability Office found the federal government paid an estimated $6.7 billion in 2025 to employees who accepted deferred resignation buyouts and remained off the job. The agency that administered the program told auditors it cannot say precisely what the program cost.