EPA Spent More than $86 million to Pay Employees Placed on Administrative Leave

According to data obtained by the Washington Post, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spent $86.5 million in 2025 to compensate more than 2,600 staff who were placed on administrative leave. This cost was in addition to the cost of granting deferred resignation to 2,300 EPA employees, which resulted in their being paid through their delayed separation at the end of September or, in the case of employees who would be eligible for retirement before the end of 2025, through December.