Searching for recent assessments of Trump's government reforms — balancing claims of progress and criticism.
Whether Donald Trump is improving the U.S. government depends on how "improving" is measured, and assessments vary sharply.
Claims by the Administration
The White House describes the period since January 2025 as the "most consequential stretch of governing in modern American history", citing:
•Government efficiency and workforce reduction: The administration claims unprecedented efficiency reforms have saved an estimated $215 billion — about $1,335 per taxpayer — and shrunk the federal workforce to its lowest level since 1966. Other administration releases also cite the backlog of veterans waiting for benefits has dropped by 74%.
•Deregulation: The administration announced a regulatory agenda aimed at eliminating 702 existing administrative rules, projected to save the economy $1.5 trillion by the end of September 2026. A separate 2026 plan described 702 rules slated for elimination as a record for a single semiannual plan.
•Other stated goals: A President's Management Agenda detailed in 2025 includes goals to eliminate "woke" programs, downsize the workforce and real estate portfolio, modernize technology, and centralize contracting, and to streamline services through policies like Login.gov for public-facing services.
Supporters point to these as evidence of a leaner, less bureaucratic, and more cost-effective government. Federal employment data shows the civilian workforce fell to about 2.7 million, down more than 300,000 positions — roughly 11% — since Trump returned to office in January 2025, the lowest level in 60 years.
Findings by Watchdogs and Critics
Nonpartisan oversight agencies and critics have questioned the savings claims and noted costs:
•The Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded there is little evidence to support the $110 billion in savings claimed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
•GAO found “DOGE did not use its stated methodology to calculate the majority of savings associated with the contracts reported as terminated. For grants, DOGE did not provide sufficient information to verify the method used to calculate 96 percent of DOGE-reported savings”, and that 40% of claimed savings were from leases previously terminated.
•GAO also estimated the federal government paid $9.5 billion not to work in 2025 as part of the plan to shrink the government, a 435% increase in paid administrative leave over 2023. Despite downsizing, some analyses noted the government has "yet to see any notable savings".
•DOGE, launched to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse with an initial target of $2 trillion later reduced to $150 billion, claimed $215 billion in savings by its dissolution but has been described as no longer a centralized entityand .
Public Opinion Polls
National polling in 2025-2026 shows low approval for Trump's overall job performance:
•A Strength In Numbers/Verasight poll in September 2026 put Trump approval at 33%, with averages across major pollsters around 37.3% approval and 60.2% disapproval.
•Reuters/Ipsos polling in late 2026 recorded approval at 32%.
•Brookings analysis in January 2026 noted public frustration with high prices drove a sharp decline in approval in 2025, overshadowing stronger ratings on immigration, crime, and foreign affairs, and that Trump slipped on issues that were previously strengths such as crime and immigration.
Perspectives on "Improvement"
•Arguments that government has improved: Supporters cite reduced federal headcount, record deregulation, veterans' benefits processing improvements, and technology modernization as making government more efficient and responsive.
•Arguments that government has not improved: Critics cite unverified savings claims, increased costs for paid leave, loss of institutional expertise from mass departures, contested service disruptions, and low public confidence in handling of the economy.
In short, the administration points to workforce downsizing, deregulation targets, and claimed savings as improvements, while independent audits and polls point to disputed savings calculations, added transitional costs, and declining public approval of overall performance.