Trump’s deferred resignation pays out over 150,000 in historic workforce reduction

The Trump administration’s controversial effort to shrink the federal workforce has led to more than 154,000 employees being paid to stay home until resignation, according to recent disclosures from OPM and reporting by the New York Times. The DOGE effect marks the largest federal workforce reduction in the modern era.

The deferred resignation initiative has seen roughly 6.7 percent of the federal civilian workforce accept offers to resign by the end of the fiscal year or 2025, while continuing to receive full salaries and benefits in the interim, according to the Partnership for Public Service. Critics, including Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, argue the plan has already cost the government at least $21.7 billion, calling it reckless waste.

The largest losses have hit the Treasury, Agriculture, and Defense departments, with the Partnership for Public Service reporting over 31,000 reductions at Treasury alone.

Advocates and unions have condemned the administration’s opaque approach. “The shroud of secrecy behind the administration’s dramatic cuts to the federal workforce should concern every American and every taxpayer,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees.