The Trump administration paid federal employees at least $11 billion [1] to stay home instead of working, according to a new report from Public Citizen.
The findings suggest that efforts to reduce the size of the federal government resulted in significant taxpayer losses without achieving immediate workforce reductions. This expenditure represents a failure in the execution of the administration's strategy to streamline government operations.
Douglas Pasternak, the research director for Public Citizen, said the situation was “Trumpian mismanagement at its worst.”
The report characterizes the administration's approach as a government “chainsaw” that cost taxpayers $11 billion [1]. The funds were used to pay federal workers to not work as the administration attempted to restructure the federal workforce.
Public Citizen argues that the process was inefficient and costly. The organization asserts that the attempt to streamline the workforce through these payments was a mismanagement of public funds [2].
The administration's goal was to reduce the federal footprint, but the report indicates that the method used—paying employees to remain inactive—created a massive financial burden on the U.S. treasury [1].
““Trumpian mismanagement at its worst.””
This report highlights a gap between the political goal of reducing government spending and the operational reality of federal employment law. When an administration attempts to shrink the civil service rapidly, it often encounters contractual and legal obligations that require paying employees during transitions, potentially offsetting the intended savings of the workforce cuts.
