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The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work

Early resignation offers and other programs have reduced the workforce, but critics say the moves are also wasting money.

9 min
Demonstrators hold signs as they stand outside the Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse on March 12 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They were protesting cuts to the federal government workforce and other Trump administration policies. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post)

The government is paying more than 154,000 federal employees not to work as part of the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program, according to two administration officials.

The number, which has not been previously reported, accounts for workers at dozens of agencies who took offers from the government as of June to get paid through Sept. 30 — the end of the fiscal year — or the end of 2025 and then voluntarily leave government, significantly reducing the size of several major agencies, according to two Office of Personnel Management officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to disclose details of the administration’s plans to scale down government.

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