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... That includes reinstating canceled contracts, rehiring staff and buying new equipment -- while paying 420 employees $3.2 million every two weeks to remain on leave, according to a new report by the State Department's inspector general. The State Department and USAGM, an independent federal agency, share the same inspector general office.

The watchdog doesn't tally the total of the shutdown whipsaw and resulting lawsuits, which are still working their way through the courts. But it notes that some decisions intended to save money were being reversed, "incurring additional costs to taxpayers."

The findings offer a view into how the DOGE-era push to slash the federal government to cut costs created new ones, and how haphazard cuts and ill-planned program terminations and location moves also hampered the agency's mission. ...