US Education Department Pays $7M Monthly to Employees on Leave Amid Court Battles

The U.S. Department of Education is currently paying over $7 million a month to employees who have been placed on administrative leave as part of President Trump's plan to dismantle the agency, with total payments exceeding $21 million in the past three months. This situation arose after about 1,300 employees were laid off and hundreds more took voluntary buyouts, but a federal court blocked the layoffs, reinstating workers who are now unable to work while lawsuits continue. Some employees expressed shame and frustration at receiving pay without being able to perform their duties. President Trump offered federal workers generous buyout packages, allowing some to receive pay through September 2025, a move defended as part of his efforts to cut waste and reduce government size. Congressional members like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Senator Joni Ernst criticized the ongoing payments as wasteful and a betrayal of taxpayers, blaming the courts for blocking the administration's cost-cutting efforts. The Education Department is assessing how to reintegrate employees back into work, but the prolonged legal battle means these payments could continue for an extended period.