Republicans blast agencies for long-term paid leave

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) demanded that federal agencies account for hundreds of employees placed on paid leave for a year or more.

“This is detrimental to taxpayers and good government,” Grassley said Tuesday. “The agencies should account for each case of paid leave, especially those lasting more than a year. The explanations will help Congress arrive at solutions to stop abusively long leave.”

{mosads}Grassley and Issa wrote a letter to the 17 agencies mentioned in a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found more than 57,000 employees were on paid administrative leave for more than a month, costing at least $700 million.

“Given the GAO’s report showing the incredible amount of money being spent on leave, Congress must know how it is possible that agencies’ current processes result in gross overuse of paid administrative leave, wasting taxpayer funds,” Issa said.

The lawmakers said that, because each agency is allowed to handle its own administrative leave, some employees are getting paid to stay home, while managers look for another way to dismiss them.