Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Is Trump's overhaul making government better? I'll gather the latest data on reforms and performance to weigh the claims.

Whether Donald Trump is improving the US government depends on which metrics and values are used to define "improvement." Supporters and critics point to different indicators:

Arguments that the government is being improved:

1. Federal workforce reduction and efficiency drive:
A primary administration goal was to reduce the size of the federal civil service, promising to "immediately restore the integrity, competency and loyalty of America's government".

As of November 2025, the federal civil service stood at roughly 2.085 million, down roughly 220,000 since Trump took office. The Partnership for Public Service said it marked the largest workforce reduction among federal employees since World War II.

Supporters argue this reverses decades of growth and proves the government can function with fewer employees. One analysis noted the Trump administration has cut more than 10 percent of the federal workforce, and the government hasn't crashed.

The administration also granted cabinet secretaries greater autonomy in enhancing operational efficiency while maintaining control over personnel decisions, and directed them to collaborate with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for cost-cutting.

2. Deregulation:
Trump's deregulation order directs agencies to identify at least 10 old regulations for elimination for every new regulation they propose, and requires regulatory costs to be offset. Another pillar is the 10-to-1 deregulation policy, which requires agencies to justify new regulations while eliminating existing rules.

Administration and sympathetic commentators argue that cutting regulatory burdens will raise output and per-capita GDP by reducing anti-competitive barriers and slashing compliance costs. The administration cited nearly 150 proposals and the EPA announcing dozens of deregulatory actions intended to lower costs.

DOGE reported $215 billion in savings as of Jan. 1, 2026, and its mission was described as to streamline federal operations, reduce waste, and eliminate redundant programs.

3. Prioritization of enforcement functions:
A notable exception to downsizing was the Department of Homeland Security and its ICE and CBP components, which received large budget and workforce increases to pursue detention and deportation priorities, which supporters view as improving border-security functions.

Arguments that the government is not being improved:

1. Spending and deficit have not decreased:
Critics note that despite DOGE's claimed savings, the numbers have been full of errors and widely disputed, and overall government spending increased in 2025.

By DOGE's own accounting, it cut $170 billion, far below the $1 trillion or even $2 trillion initially promised, while overall federal spending has increased and the budget deficit has widened.

The decline in federal workers has also been offset by an increase in federal contractors, concentrated in homeland-security and defense, reflecting a shift in priorities rather than an overall reduction in contracting.

2. Institutional and service concerns:
Reports note that civil service protections against politicization have been reduced, and federal employee advocates have noted adverse effects on some agencies' capabilities and performance.

Some agencies later rehired employees after determining that cuts had impaired their missions, including departures of top experts at the National Nuclear Security Administration which risked setbacks to nuclear safety.

Critics of deregulation warn of long-run externalities that can reduce welfare via climate damages and health burdens, and that reducing regulatory scope can change bargaining leverage and enforcement pathways for workers.

3. Public approval trends:
Polling averages provide one public measure of perceived performance. At the end of October, approval polling averages showed President Trump at 38% approval, with the lowest average of his second term at 37% on Oct. 22, 2026, down from a high of 54% on Jan. 22, 2025.

Another average of 1,099 polls showed 37.8% approve and 59.6% disapprove. Pew Research noted Trump's approval rating has dropped substantially over his second term.

Bottom line:

Independent analyses summarize that there is clear short-term potential for reduced compliance costs and administrative relief, while significant uncertainties remain about net long-term welfare due to environmental, health, and worker-protection effects, and whether efficiency gains translate into sustained fiscal improvement will depend on implementation, judicial challenges, enforcement levels, and interactions with other policies.