Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Whether Donald Trump is "improving" the US government is a subject of intense debate, representing a fundamental clash between two competing philosophies of American governance.

During his second term, the Trump administration has executed some of the most significant overhauls of the federal bureaucracy in modern history. Proponents view these changes as a long-overdue dismantling of an inefficient and unaccountable "deep state," while critics view them as a dangerous politicization of the civil service that undermines the stable, merit-based functioning of the government.

The key initiatives of his administration and the arguments for and against their impact are outlined below.

Key Civil Service and Government Reforms (2025–2026)

•Schedule Policy/Career (formerly Schedule F): Upon taking office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14171, establishing a new employment category known as "Schedule Policy/Career" (Schedule P/C). This reclassifies career civil service positions that involve "policy-influencing" or "policy-advocating" into an excepted service category, stripping them of traditional due-process protections and making them effectively "at-will" employees. In June 2026, the administration formally ordered the reclassification of the first tranche of roughly 8,000 federal workers.

•The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Formed as a cost-cutting and streamlining initiative, DOGE was spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The initiative aimed to identify waste, consolidate federal purchasing, and reduce regulatory burdens.

•Federal Workforce Reductions: Through a combination of hiring freezes (mandating a target of four departures for every one new hire), forced office relocations, and targeted attritions, the federal workforce was reduced by roughly 9% to 10%—representing a cut of about 220,000 to 270,000 employees—marking the largest workforce reduction since World War II.

•Elimination of DEI and Regulatory Rollbacks: Trump issued a series of executive orders dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies and contractors, alongside mandates to aggressively roll back regulations and push federal workers back to in-person work.

The Case That Trump is Improving the Government

Supporters of the administration’s policies argue that these measures are making the federal government leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to the American public.

1.Restoring Democratic Accountability: Proponents of the "unitary executive theory" argue that unelected, career bureaucrats should not have lifetime job security if they actively resist or undermine the policies of a democratically elected president. By converting policy-influencing roles into "at-will" positions under Schedule P/C, supporters argue the executive branch is finally being aligned with the democratic mandate of the voters.

2.Trimming Bureaucratic Bloat: Supporters point to the reduction of more than 220,000 federal workers as proof of a streamlined government. They argue that the federal government had become a self-serving, bloated apparatus, and that shedding underperforming staff, administrative overhead, and redundant positions saves taxpayers money without grinding operations to a halt.

3.Encouraging Modernization: Proponents point to modernizing achievements under the administration's management agenda, such as the launching of retire.opm.gov to digitize and automate federal retirement records that were previously managed manually.

4.Dismantling Unnecessary Regulations: By slashing red tape and streamlining permitting processes, proponents argue that the administration is boosting economic growth, freeing private enterprises from over-regulation, and making the government "smarter" rather than more intrusive.

The Case That Trump is Harming the Government

Critics, including federal employee unions, policy experts, and "good government" advocacy groups, argue that these changes are deeply damaging to the stability, integrity, and operational capability of the United States.

1.A Return to the "Spoils System": Critics argue that stripping civil service protections from thousands of senior career employees dismantles the nonpartisan, merit-based system established by the Pendleton Act of 1883. They warn that this revives a corrupt "spoils system" where federal workers are hired based on personal and political loyalty to the president rather than objective expertise.

2.Loss of Institutional Knowledge and Operational Failures: Mass departures and workforce cuts have hollowed out critical agencies. For example, critics point to severe vacancies in career leadership at agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), arguing that the loss of experienced scientists, lawyers, and defense experts leaves the nation vulnerable to public health crises and national security threats.

3.Conflict of Interest and Lack of Oversight: Critics raise alarms over the extraordinary access granted to private individuals, particularly Elon Musk and other corporate figures, to sensitive government data and systems. Because DOGE operated outside standard advisory committee structures, it bypassed traditional ethics reviews, raising concerns that private business interests were directly influencing federal spending and regulatory cuts.

4.Disputed Savings and Higher Long-Term Costs: While the administration and DOGE have claimed billions in savings, independent budget analysts argue that these figures are heavily inflated or offset by increased spending on private defense and homeland security contractors. Critics note that firing government staff often results in the outsourcing of duties to more expensive private contractors, resulting in negligible net savings.

Conclusion

Whether Donald Trump’s administration is improving the US government depends entirely on what one believes the role of the federal bureaucracy should be. To supporters, his actions represent a courageous disruption of an entrenched, self-preserving bureaucracy, forcing it to be accountable to the president and the taxpayers. To critics, his actions represent an assault on the rule of law, degrading the government’s ability to function by replacing expert, nonpartisan professionalism with political fealty.

Citations (16)

1narfe.orgNonprofits and think tanks
narfe.org
Backs: “During his second term, the Trump administration has executed some of the most significant overhauls of the federal bureaucracy in modern history.”
2civilservicestrong.orgNot yet classified
civilservicestrong.org
Backs: “During his second term, the Trump administration has executed some of the most significant overhauls of the federal bureaucracy in modern history.”
3wikipedia.orgEncyclopedias and referencequality 0.83
wikipedia.org
Backs: “Proponents view these changes as a long-overdue dismantling of an inefficient and unaccountable "deep state," while critics view them as a dangerous politicization of the civil service that undermines the stable, merit-based functioning of the government.”
4forbes.comNews and mediaquality 0.83
forbes.com
Backs: “Schedule Policy/Career (formerly Schedule F): Upon taking office, President Trump signed Executive Order 14171, establishing a new employment category known as "Schedule Policy/Career" (Schedule P/C). This reclassifies career civil service positions that involve "policy-influencing" or "policy-advocating" into an…”
5fedsupport.orgNonprofits and think tanks
fedsupport.org
Backs: “This reclassifies career civil service positions that involve "policy-influencing" or "policy-advocating" into an excepted service category, stripping them of traditional due-process protections and making them effectively "at-will" employees. In June 2026, the administration formally ordered the reclassification of…”
6ourpublicservice.orgNonprofits and think tanks
ourpublicservice.org
Backs: “In June 2026, the administration formally ordered the reclassification of the first tranche of roughly 8,000 federal workers. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Formed as a cost-cutting and streamlining initiative, DOGE was spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.”
7govexec.comNews and mediaquality 0.87
govexec.com
Backs: “In June 2026, the administration formally ordered the reclassification of the first tranche of roughly 8,000 federal workers. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Formed as a cost-cutting and streamlining initiative, DOGE was spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.”
8ncsl.orgNonprofits and think tanks
ncsl.org
Backs: “The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE): Formed as a cost-cutting and streamlining initiative, DOGE was spearheaded by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The initiative aimed to identify waste, consolidate federal purchasing, and reduce regulatory burdens.”
9cei.orgNonprofits and think tanks
cei.org
Backs: “The initiative aimed to identify waste, consolidate federal purchasing, and reduce regulatory burdens.”
10performance.govGovernment
performance.gov
Backs: “The initiative aimed to identify waste, consolidate federal purchasing, and reduce regulatory burdens.”
11hklaw.comCompanies
hklaw.com
Backs: “Elimination of DEI and Regulatory Rollbacks: Trump issued a series of executive orders dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies and contractors, alongside mandates to aggressively roll back regulations and push federal workers back to in-person work.”
12thecgp.orgNot yet classified
thecgp.org
Backs: “Elimination of DEI and Regulatory Rollbacks: Trump issued a series of executive orders dismantling Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across federal agencies and contractors, alongside mandates to aggressively roll back regulations and push federal workers back to in-person work.”
13whitehouse.govGovernment
whitehouse.gov
Backs: “Supporters of the administration’s policies argue that these measures are making the federal government leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to the American public. Restoring Democratic Accountability: Proponents of the "unitary executive theory" argue that unelected, career bureaucrats should not have lifetime…”
14hillmanfoundation.orgNonprofits and think tanks
hillmanfoundation.org
Backs: “Conflict of Interest and Lack of Oversight: Critics raise alarms over the extraordinary access granted to private individuals, particularly Elon Musk and other corporate figures, to sensitive government data and systems. Because DOGE operated outside standard advisory committee structures, it bypassed traditional…”
15democracydefendersfund.orgNonprofits and think tanks
democracydefendersfund.org
Backs: “Because DOGE operated outside standard advisory committee structures, it bypassed traditional ethics reviews, raising concerns that private business interests were directly influencing federal spending and regulatory cuts. Disputed Savings and Higher Long-Term Costs: While the administration and DOGE have claimed…”
16reason.comNews and mediaquality 0.81
reason.com
Backs: “Disputed Savings and Higher Long-Term Costs: While the administration and DOGE have claimed billions in savings, independent budget analysts argue that these figures are heavily inflated or offset by increased spending on private defense and homeland security contractors. Critics note that firing government staff…”