154,000 Federal Workers Are Being Paid To Stay Home Under Deferred Resignation Plan

Today in “your tax dollars at work” news…

More than 154,000 federal employees — over 6% of the civilian workforce — are being paid not to work under the Biden administration’s deferred resignation program, an official confirmed to ABC News.

The program, first reported by The Washington Post, lets employees who accept buyouts keep pay and benefits until the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

Critics say the plan has been chaotic, draining resources, disrupting agencies, and sparking legal battles — all on the taxpayer’s dime.

“The American taxpayer ultimately is not only watching federal employees who are deeply interested in serving the public be sidelined, they’re having to pay for them too. It makes no sense at all,” said Max Steier of the Partnership for Public Service. He added, “They’ve done ‘ready, fire, aim,’ instead of ‘ready, aim, fire.’”

Supporters defend it as a cost-cutting success. “Ultimately, the deferred resignation program was not only legal, it provided over 150,000 civil servants a dignified and generous departure from the federal government,” OPM spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover told ABC News.

“It also delivered incredible relief to the American taxpayer. No previous administration has gotten even close to saving American taxpayers this amount of money in such a short amount of time.”

The administration hasn’t disclosed how much is being spent on salaries, benefits, or court battles tied to the buyouts.

Senate Democrats, however, estimate that the broader Department of Government Efficiency effort — led by Elon Musk — has cost $21.7 billion so far due to errors and waste, a figure the White House disputes.