The federal government spent an estimated $9.5 billion paying civilian employees while they were not actively working last year, driven primarily by buyout programs aimed at downsizing the federal workforce, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

The congressional watchdog found that salary costs associated with paid administrative leave skyrocketed sixfold from 2023 levels. Roughly 70% of the total spending—about $6.7 billion—was tied to the administration’s deferred resignation program, which allowed nearly 140,000 federal workers to collect full pay and benefits for months after agreeing to leave their roles.

While the Office of Personnel Management defended the initiative, arguing the temporary buyout costs will yield long-term annual savings of $20 billion, critics and lawmakers point out that several agencies subsequently had to rehire thousands of workers to fill critical operational gaps.