Doge cuts cost US taxpayers $10bn to cover workers’ paid leave, analysis finds

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 4 min read 100% complete by Tom PerkinsJanuary 9, 2026 at 02:00 PM

AI Summary

medium article 4 min

An analysis by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) estimates the Trump administration spent $10 billion in taxpayer money on paid leave for over 154,000 federal employees in 2025. Peer alleges this practice, intended to undermine the federal workforce, violated the Administrative Leave Act (ALA) of 2016, which limits paid leave. The employees put on leave included some from the EPA. Enforcement is complicated due to the complex regulatory process and the Trump administration's failure to fully implement the ALA's rules. The lack of accountability stems from the Trump administration's actions to protect the paid leave operation, creating an "accountability black hole".

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Stanford University 40% Joe Biden 40% Madeline Materna 50% Department of Justice 50% National Park Service 50% US Environmental Protection Agency 60% Peter Jenkins 60% Administrative Leave Act (ALA) ×370% Government Accountability Office (GAO) 70% Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (Peer) ×480% Donald Trump ×590%

Keywords

paid leave 100% taxpayer money 80% government efficiency 70% federal workforce 70% trump administration 60% administrative leave 60% public employees for environmental responsibility 50% legal limbo 50% government accountability office 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

The Guardian - World News

Political Lean

Center-Left (-0.40)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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paid leave taxpayer money government efficiency federal workforce trump administration administrative leave public employees for environmental responsibility legal limbo government accountability office

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