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Agencies spent nearly $10 billion for feds not to work in 2025
By Extra Extra Editorial
Cross-spectrum analysis, synthesized with AI from 3 sources · Updated
Federal agencies spent approximately $9.5 billion to $10 billion in 2025 to pay employees who were not working, according to recent reporting. This expenditure occurred as part of efforts associated with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative. The payments represent a significant allocation of federal resources during a period of workforce restructuring and policy implementation.
Left-leaning outlets frame this as a striking contradiction within the DOGE efficiency agenda, emphasizing the irony that a government cost-reduction initiative resulted in massive expenditures for unproductive labor. The coverage highlights this as evidence of ineffective or counterproductive implementation of the restructuring effort.
Center-focused reporting presents the spending figure as a factual development requiring explanation, focusing on the mechanics of how agencies managed workforce transitions. The coverage treats this as a significant budgetary matter without emphasizing the ideological contradiction.
Key Differences
- Left outlets emphasize the contradiction between efficiency goals and actual spending outcomes; center coverage focuses on the factual budget allocation without ideological framing
- Right-leaning media has not engaged with this story, creating a significant coverage gap on a major federal spending development
How this story is being covered
Extra Extra has grouped 3 reports on this story from 3 news outlets across the political spectrum. By political lean, that breaks down as 2 left-leaning and 1 center sources.
Its coverage-diversity score of 58 out of 100 means the story is being reported across multiple parts of the spectrum, though the volume leans toward one side. Notably, no right-leaning outlet in our index has picked the story up yet — a right-side blind spot that often signals a topic resonating more with progressive audiences.
On reliability, 3 of the 3 rated outlets carry a high or mostly-factual reliability rating (A or B). Ratings are drawn from independent assessments and are meant to help you weigh each report, not to tell you which to trust.
The reports clustered here landed within about 1 hour of each other, suggesting a fast-moving, breaking story.
Below, the same story is laid out side by side as left, center, and right outlets reported it. Read across the columns and watch what changes: the headline emphasis, which facts lead, the adjectives, and what each side leaves out. The story itself rarely changes — the framing almost always does.
Outlets covering this story: New York Times, The Boston Globe, Government Executive.
Left(2)
New York TimesASep 15, 11:47 PM
Federal Employees Were Paid $9.5 Billion Not to Work in 2025 Under DOGE Effort
As part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s program to shrink the federal work force, paid administrative leave costs rose by 435 percent.
The Boston GlobeASep 15, 10:25 PM
Federal employees were paid $9.5 billion not to work in 2025 under DOGE effort
DOGE's program to shrink the federal workforce through deferred resignations increased the use of paid administrative leave by 435% during the first year of President Trump’s second term.
Center(1)
Right(0)
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