The Trump administration paid nearly $7 billion as part of an effort to reduce the size of the federal bureaucracy, according to a watchdog report released Tuesday. 

The Government Accountability Office said the government spent $9.5 billion on paid administrative leave, including $6.7 billion spent on the Department of Government Efficiency’s initiative to incentivize federal workers to leave their jobs via deferred resignations, marking a 435% increase in paid administrative leave costs. The Trump administration defended the “one-time” deferred resignation expense, saying it has helped save taxpayers overall $40 billion annually.