Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work?

Of the 28 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 46% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 11% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 34. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.

Is Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work left or right?

Neither side dominates it. Of the 28 rated outlets on this story, 46% are rated left, 43% are rated centre, 11% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.

Is the coverage of Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work biased?

Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work is one event reported by 34 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.

Which side is not reporting Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work?

When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.

Which outlets covered Trump administration paid $9.5 billion for federal workers not to work?

34 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.

How much did the Trump administration spend on paid administrative leave in 2025?

The Trump administration spent $9.5 billion in 2025 on paid administrative leave for federal workers, according to a Government Accountability Office report. This represented a 435% increase in the use of such leave.

What was the deferred resignation program?

The deferred resignation program was an initiative under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) where federal employees were offered paid leave for several months as an incentive to resign. An estimated $6.7 billion was spent on this program, affecting over 144,000 employees.

Did all reports agree on the total cost?

Reports varied on the specific figures. While the Government Accountability Office estimated $9.5 billion for overall paid administrative leave, it estimated $6.7 billion for the deferred resignation program. Some outlets reported the $6.7 billion figure for the program, while others cited the $9.5 billion for the total expenditure.