Stop Trump’s $156.5 Million Interior Department Purge

Donald Trump’s Interior Department spent $156.5 million paying employees not to work.

Instead of putting these experienced and dedicated public servants to work confronting some of the country’s biggest environmental challenges, the Trump administration is spending millions to push them out the door — and permanently losing their knowledge and expertise in the process.

That’s millions of taxpayer dollars sidelining experienced public servants while climate change is driving worsening wildfires, prolonged drought, extreme heat and mounting pressure on America’s public lands.

New records obtained by POLITICO show that $156.5 million in salary and benefits went to employees in the Office of the Secretary who were placed on administrative leave last year. 

Nearly 1,500 of them had accepted the Trump administration’s deferred-resignation program and were paid for days or even months while no longer working.

And that staggering figure covers just one part of the sprawling department responsible for managing national parks, wildlife refuges, public lands, waters and natural resources. The total cost of administrative leave across Interior remains unknown.

The consequences extend far beyond wasted money.

Interior and its agencies need scientists, wildlife experts, park employees, land managers and other skilled professionals to protect ecosystems stressed by a warming climate, respond to wildfire risks, conserve wildlife, safeguard water supplies and manage more than 480 million acres of land.

Yet thousands of employees have already opted to leave the department through the deferred-resignation program.

And Secretary Doug Burgum is still pushing ahead. In April, Interior announced another Deferred Resignation Program as part of a sweeping restructuring of the department.

With climate and environmental threats growing more severe, gutting the agency responsible for so much of America’s natural heritage amounts to reckless mismanagement.

Please sign the petition and tell Secretary Burgum to stop paying public servants to leave and start rebuilding Interior’s capacity to protect our climate, lands, and wildlife.

The petition to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum reads: Stop further deferred-resignation programs and indiscriminate workforce cuts at the Department of the Interior. Our taxpayer dollars should support the scientists, land managers, wildlife experts, park employees and other public servants needed to protect America’s public lands, wildlife, waters and natural resources, address growing climate threats, and serve the public — not pay experienced employees to stop working and leave government service.
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Source:

https://subscriber.politicopro.com/article/eenews/2026/08/20/interior-paid-156-million-for-employees-not-to-work-01043096