The Swamp Got Bigger, Better Paid & More Secretive Since 2020

OpenTheBooks ^ | 11/14/25 | OpenTheBooks

[EnderWiggin1970]

If you were told a business increased their staff headcount by 5% over four years but its payroll rose 24% over that time, all the while withholding the names of 39% of their staff, would you invest in that company?

Unlikely. But that’s just what the United State government does, funded by taxpayer dollars and operating as if accountable to no one.

Open the Books analyzed the FY 2024 payroll records of executive agencies and found that 2.9 million federal employees were paid $270 billion, compared to 2.8 million employees paid $217 billion in FY 2020. While the civilian employee ranks grew 5%, pay grew nearly 5 times as much, 24%.

The Office of Personnel Management provided the pay for over 1.5 million executive agency bureaucrats; Department of Defense provided pay for its 761,624 civilian employees; and United States Postal Service gave its 638,007 employees’ payroll, via Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

Not included are pay for judicial branch employees; the 535 members of Congress and their staff; the 1.3 million active-duty military members; the Office of the Vice President (which claims itself entirely exempt from FOIA); nor the staff of several intelligence agencies.

While payroll records don’t include benefits, adding an estimated 30% to the $270 billion payroll brings total costs to $351 billion.

[EnderWiggin1970]

The Swamp *must* be drained. They are bankrupting America.

[UnwashedPeasant]

Cap all wages at 2019 pre-Covid levels. Fire everyone DOGE identifies as nonessential.

[WhiteHatBobby0701]

This is what Pelosi’s control of the books and MMT have done.

[no-to-illegals]

In my auditory understanding, my estimate of congressional budget percentages:
35% to government
20% to security
45% to welfare and foreign programs

Of above roughly 45% percent funds government corruption