DOGE’s push to shrink the federal workforce cost the Trump administration $6.7 billion for employees not to work

A multi-billion dollar issue has emerged as federal agencies increasingly utilize administrative leave, with a startling 435% surge from 2023 to 2025, totaling $9.5 billion in salaries paid to off-duty employees. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) bore $6.7 billion of this cost, a direct consequence of its "Fork in the Road" program, which offered federal workers the option to voluntarily resign while retaining full pay and benefits until the end of September 2025.

Nearly 140,000 employees took advantage of this offer. The Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit organization, has warned that the impact of these mass resignations extends beyond financial implications, as agencies struggle to fill over 20,000 vacant roles with new hires, often lacking the specialized knowledge and institutional expertise of the departed employees.

This has led to a decrease in the federal workforce by 12%, with more than 271,000 federal employees leaving since Trump's second term began. Critics argue that while the program may have saved taxpayers $40 billion annually, the reduction in government efficiency and the loss of institutional knowledge pose significant risks, as evidenced by a 40% increase in consumer complaints about meat and egg products, and public health concerns such as a cyclospora outbreak linked to DOGE's workforce reductions.