Is Donald Trump improving the US government?

Short answer: it depends on what you mean by “improving.” Here’s a concise scorecard using recent facts and widely used yardsticks.

Where supporters see improvement

•Border enforcement: Reported Southwest border encounters fell sharply in FY2025 and have stayed very low into 2026, after aggressive executive actions. Independent analyses (GAO, Pew) using CBP data describe levels as the lowest in decades.[1]

•Civil‑service “accountability”: The administration reinstated and expanded a version of Schedule F (now “Schedule Policy/Career”) and lengthened probationary periods to make it easier to remove policy‑influencing employees. These changes were implemented via executive orders and OPM rulemaking. Backers argue this curbs bureaucratic resistance and speeds execution.[2]

•Deregulation/management drive: Through a new Department of Government Efficiency (created by executive order), the White House has pushed agencies to cut headcount, freeze hiring in places, and roll back rules—steps intended to shrink and “streamline” government.[3]

Where critics see harm or risks

•Service delivery strains: Watchdogs report degraded taxpayer phone service at IRS in the 2026 filing season versus 2025, and GAO continues to flag shortfalls in FAA controller staffing—both tied in part to workforce and hiring limits.[4]

•Governance and nonpartisanship: Nonpartisan analysts warn that broad reclassification of career roles (Schedule Policy/Career) risks politicizing expertise and weakening program performance over time.[5]

•Fiscal picture: Despite restraint in some domestic accounts, overall federal deficits remain historically large (CBO projects about 5.8% of GDP in FY2026), and interest costs are rising. Tariff policy shifts add uncertainty to growth and prices.[6]

•Continuity of operations: A 43‑day federal shutdown in late 2025—amid broader restructuring—reduced Q4 2025 GDP growth and disrupted data releases and services, with only partial rebound later.[7]

Public sentiment and legitimacy checks

•Early national polling in 2025 showed more disapproval than approval of key Trump actions, and continuing skepticism about government performance; views remain polarized ahead of the November 2026 midterms.[8]

Bottom line

•If “improving” means enforcing the border more tightly, moving faster on the president’s agenda, and reducing parts of the bureaucracy, many measures point to yes.

•If it means strengthening nonpartisan capacity, protecting service quality, and improving long‑run fiscal sustainability, the evidence points the other way.

If you tell me which dimensions you care about most—service quality, costs, civil‑service independence, immigration, or fiscal outcomes—I can dig deeper on just those.

Citations (8)

1gao.govGovernment
GAO-26-107425, SOUTHWEST BORDER: CBP Should Improve Oversight of Medical Care for Individuals in Custody
Backs: “Independent analyses (GAO, Pew) using CBP data describe levels as the lowest in decades.”
2whitehouse.govGovernment
Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Creates New Federal Employee Category to Enhance Accountability – The White House
Backs: “Backers argue this curbs bureaucratic resistance and speeds execution.”
3govinfo.govGovernment
DCPD202500125
Backs: “Through a new Department of Government Efficiency (created by executive order), the White House has pushed agencies to cut headcount, freeze hiring in places, and roll back rules—steps intended to shrink and “streamline” government.”
4govdelivery.comCompanies
IR-2026-79: National Taxpayer Advocate issues mid-year report to Congress
Backs: “Watchdogs report degraded taxpayer phone service at IRS in the 2026 filing season versus 2025, and GAO continues to flag shortfalls in FAA controller staffing—both tied in part to workforce and hiring limits.”
5brookings.eduNonprofits and think tanks
The risks of Schedule F for administrative capacity and government accountability | Brookings
Backs: “Nonpartisan analysts warn that broad reclassification of career roles (Schedule Policy/Career) risks politicizing expertise and weakening program performance over time.”
6cbo.govGovernment
The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2026 to 2036 | Congressional Budget Office
Backs: “Despite restraint in some domestic accounts, overall federal deficits remain historically large (CBO projects about 5.8% of GDP in FY2026), and interest costs are rising. Tariff policy shifts add uncertainty to growth and prices.”
7bea.govGovernment
GDP (Third Estimate), Industries, Corporate Profits, State GDP, and State Personal Income, 4th Quarter and Year 2025 | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)
Backs: “A 43‑day federal shutdown in late 2025—amid broader restructuring—reduced Q4 2025 GDP growth and disrupted data releases and services, with only partial rebound later.”
8pewresearch.orgNonprofits and think tanks
Ratings of Trump and Key Policies 100 Days Into Second Term | Pew Research Center
Backs: “Early national polling in 2025 showed more disapproval than approval of key Trump actions, and continuing skepticism about government performance; views remain polarized ahead of the November 2026 midterms.”