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154,000 federal workers who took DOGE buyouts are being paid to go fishing, watch Dungeons and Dragons streams and hunt for new jobs
The government is paying more than 154,000 federal employees not to work after they accepted the deferred resignation offer — and they're spending their paid leave job hunting, doing yoga, and watching YouTube, according to a report. The figure, reported by the Washington Post, accounts for the tens of thousands of federal workers who accepted the government's offer as of June that allowed employees to 'retain all pay and benefits' through September 30 and voluntarily leave their jobs. The offer, originally sent out by the Office of Personnel Management in January, came after President Donald Trump mandated in-person work requirements for the federal workforce, the size of which the Department of Government Efficiency aimed to significantly shrink. The move has led to a rapid reduction in federal workers, two officials at the Office of Personnel Management told the Post, with the resignations accounting for nearly seven percent of the government's civilian workforce. The Independent has reached out to the OPM and White House for comment. '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,' the agency spokesperson told the Post. '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.' Although DOGE set out to eliminate 'waste' in the federal government, some critics have argued that the buyouts were a waste of taxpayer dollars. Those who took the offer, meanwhile, have been spending the break as they please. An Agriculture Department employee, who's been on paid leave since April, told the Post that he's spent his free time watching comedians play a Dungeons and Dragons game, improv, and crafters on YouTube. He applied to more than 130 jobs before landing one at an animal health company that offered him a salary much greater than the $61,000 salary from the government, he said. For six weeks, his federal job and new job would overlap, meaning he'd be temporarily raking in cash from two salaries. His new role would earn him enough that his wife would be able to quit her job, he told the outlet. In the meantime, he goes fishing and dines out, all on the government's dime. He recalled telling his wife: 'As much as I don't want to admit it, this ended up being a blessing in disguise.' Brian Griffin, a former marketing specialist at the Agriculture Department making $132,000, had been planning to retire in December when he was given the deferred resignation offer. He's been on leave since May. 'When they are offering me full pay and benefits from May through September, you have to be kind of silly to say no to that,' Griffin told the Post. One worker has found the new reality a bit more difficult. An Education Department employee, who makes $130,000, said she was put on administrative leave — a move that has left her reeling. 'My work is my whole identity,' said the employee, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. 'I'm also sensitive to the fact that the American public would say, 'What are you crying about? You're getting paid.'' The government has so far paid her $65,000 not to work, while she has also accrued three weeks of vacation time since being put on leave. Some of her free time is dedicated to swimming and doing yoga but for most of it, she's frustrated. 'I will sometimes wake up and say, 'Why do I get out of bed today?'' she told the outlet. Aside from the emotional effects the cuts had on many government employees, the American taxpayer could also be affected by DOGE's workforce reductions. An analysis by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington last week, which looked at a few of the agencies impacted, found that DOGE's workforce slashes could result in a loss of over $10 billion in U.S.-based economic activity and the closure of programs that have put over $26 billion in funds back into the pockets of taxpayers. A minority staff report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Thursday also revealed that DOGE generated an estimated $21 billion in waste on mass layoffs and terminations. That figure included $14.8 billion for the deferred resignation program. 'This report is a searing indictment of DOGE's false claims. At the very same time that the Trump Administration is cutting health care, nutrition assistance, and emergency services in the name of 'efficiency' and 'savings,' they have enabled DOGE's reckless waste of at least $21.7 billion dollars,' Blumenthal, the subcommittee's ranking member, said in a statement to the Post. 'As my PSI investigation has shown, DOGE was clearly never about efficiency or saving the American taxpayer money.'
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Acton far behind Ramaswamy in governor race funding despite record haul
Jul. 31—The campaigns of Ohio's leading Republican and Democratic 2026 gubernatorial candidates are both boasting record-breaking campaign finance contributions, but that doesn't mean it's particularly close. The campaign for former Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said Wednesday that her $1.35 million raised so far this election cycle sets "multiple fundraising records for a Democratic challenger for Governor," with "more individual donors and more donations than any Democratic challenger for Governor in history at this point." The campaign boasted more than 17,000 individual donors with 90% of the nearly 33,000 total donations being $50 or less. Acton's haul prompted a response from the campaign of Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican entrepreneur and ally of President Donald Trump, who has garnered numerous major GOP endorsements. A news release pointed to a reported $9.7 million donated to Ramaswamy so far, with the following quote from his campaign strategist Jai Chabria regarding Acton's war chest: "That's cute." The press release says Ramaswamy's funding has already "shattered all previous fundraising records for the year preceding a general election, underscoring the unprecedented enthusiasm behind his candidacy." On July 31, both campaigns will be required to report campaign finance data up through June 30, 2025, to the Ohio Secretary of State's office, which will then make the data publicly available. On Wednesday, Acton's campaign alleged that Ramaswamy had been relying on "personal wealth and billionaire donors" to fund his campaign. "Amy is proud of the tens of thousands of small-dollar donations from grassroots supporters in all 88 counties," said Campaign Manager Philip Stein. "We're excited to continue to bring people together from all sides of the political spectrum who know she's the right choice for governor." ------ For more stories like this, sign up for our Ohio Politics newsletter. It's free, curated, and delivered straight to your inbox every Thursday evening. Avery Kreemer can be reached at 614-981-1422, on X, via email, or you can drop him a comment/tip with the survey below.
Yahoo
a few seconds ago
- Yahoo
Trump demands largest pharma companies slash US drug prices
(Bloomberg) — President Donald Trump sent letters to 17 of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies — including Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY), Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) and Pfizer Inc (PFE). — insisting they slash their US prices on new drugs to the lowest amount paid by certain other countries. Trump demanded companies immediately lower what they charge Medicaid for existing drugs and guarantee that future medicines be launched at prices on par with what they cost overseas. The US government would work with them to ensure higher prices abroad are in line with domestic prices, he said. Any money companies got from higher prices in Europe and elsewhere would have to be repatriated to the US to lower costs here. Lilly shares fell 0.7% at 1:53 p.m. in New York trading. AbbVie Inc., another recipient of Trump's letter, pared its earlier gains. Companies would also have to establish a direct-to-consumer purchase mechanism for high-volume drugs so consumers can buy the drugs directly at prices that match discounts that drugmakers now give to third-party insurers. Some companies received personalized versions of the letter, according to Trump's posts on Truth Social, including Lilly CEO Dave Ricks, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla and Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer. 'Moving forward, the only thing I will accept from drug manufacturers is a commitment that provides American families immediate relief from the vastly inflated drug prices and an end to the free ride of American innovation by European and other developed nations,' Trump wrote in one of the letters he posted on his social media account. The president gave the drugmakers 60 days to comply. If drug companies don't voluntarily comply, the government 'will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices,' Trump wrote. (Updates throughout.) ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
