Government closed $ 400 million a day for 750,000 workers on leave

Government is closed to taxpayers $ 400 million every day to pay federal employees who do not actively work, totaling $ 1.2 billion from Friday, data from the Congressional Office Office (CBO) office published by Senator Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.

“Schumer’s closing shenanigans mean that taxpayers will be on the hook for an additional $ 400 million today to pay 750,000 non -essential bureaucrats not to work,” Ernst said in a comment at Fox News Digital on Friday.

“The political blow of democrats to fight for health care funded by taxpayers for illegal immigrants has officially became a billion dollars boondoggy,” she added. “We must be sufficient enough for the radical left. We must reopen the government and bring Washington back to work by serving veterans, families and workers.”

A law adopted in 2019 obliges employees on leave receive a handbag once a financing agreement has been concluded and a closure ending. The CBO noted that the daily cost of remuneration of employees on leave is around $ 400 million, a total of $ 1.2 billion on Friday.

The White House says that federal layoffs could strike “thousands” in front of Trump, Vought Meeting

Senator Joni Ernst’s office has published the Office Budget Data of the Congress showing that the government’s closure should cost taxpayers $ 400 million to pay federal leaves on leave. (Reuters)

“Using information from the Emergency Plans of Agencies and the Staff Management Office (OPM), CBO estimates that by virtue of a discretionary financing scale for the year 2026, around 750,000 employees could be on leave every day; the total daily cost of their remuneration would be around $ 400 million”, a letter from the Budget Budget office in Ernst would be on Tuesday. The data was published after the republican of the Iowa asked CBO to provide a distribution of closure data costs in September while the deadline was exhausted.

The CBO data was largely based on the statistics of a partial closure of five weeks which took place from December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, under the first Trump administration, noted the office in its letter to Ernst.

The letter added that the number of federal leaves on leave, which is currently estimated at around 750,000 employees, could vary by the day “because some agencies could contribute more employees, the more a closure persists and others may remember certain employees initially on leave”.

The government closed early Wednesday morning after the Senate legislators did not reach a budgetary agreement. House legislators had approved a short -term extension of funding for the year 2025 earlier in September which aimed to maintain the funded government until November 21.

The Trump administration and the Republicans have since pinned the blame for the closure of the Democrats, saying that they have sought medical services funded by taxpayers for illegal immigrants. Democrats have denied wanting to finance health care for illegal immigrants and rather blamed the Republicans for the closure.

Fox News Digital contacted Schumer’s office to comment on CBO data and Ernst’s remarks but did not immediately receive a response.

The White House spokesman Kush Desai criticized the Democrats as “non-serious people” when CBO data was asked on Friday morning.

Here is what Trump wants to reshape the federal government during the closure

“Democrats burn $ 400 million a day to pay federal workers so as not to work because they want to spend $ 200 billion in free health care for illegal foreigners,” DESAI in Fox News Digital. “They are not serious people.”

Trump said on several occasions that he did not want a stop taking place, but noted on Tuesday when the clock was exhausted that a “good” could come from it.

The administration should dismiss federal employees in various agencies in the middle of the closure, with the president of management and budget management of President Donald Trump, Russell Vought, Center, to trace which departments and programs target for cuts. (Evan Vucci / The Associated Press)

“Many good can be loosened to closures,” he told journalists. “We can get rid of many things we didn’t want, and they would be democratic things. But they want open borders. They want men to play in female sports. They want transgender for everyone. They never stop. They don’t learn. We have won an election in a landslide.”

Social security, airports, food coupons: how are you assigned when government closure?

The administration is expected to dismiss federal employees in various agencies in the middle of the closure, with the managing management and budget management of Trump, Russell Vought on Thursday to trace which departments and programs target for cuts.

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt talks to journalists outside the west wing of the White House in Washington on October 2, 2025. (Kevin Lamarque / Reuters)

The White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told journalists on Thursday that “thousands” of employees will probably be dismissed.

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“Listen, it will probably be in the thousands,” said Leavitt. “This is a very good question. And it is something on which the management and budget office and the whole team of the White House here, once again, must unfortunately work today.”