No Love for the Feds

The public doesn’t think all that highly of federal agencies. (Gallup)

A new Gallup poll: The U.S. Postal Service is the only federal agency with majority-level positive ratings, according to a survey asking Americans to rate 15 different agencies.

• Less than 35% of Americans rate eight federal agencies as "excellent" or "good."

• These agencies include the Secret Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Reserve Board, Department of Homeland Security, Food and Drug Administration and Internal Revenue Service.

Zoom in: Only 32% of U.S. adults rated the Secret Service as "excellent" or "good," a sharp 23-point drop from the previous year.

• Likely in response to concerns over the attempted assassinations of Donald Trump, Secret Service approval fell sharply among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, with positive ratings dropping 26 points to 20%.

Even the best-rated agency is kind of dysfunctional: Despite the positive vibes for the Postal Service, demand for mail has fallen (the largest type of mail by volume is marketing, or junk), and losses are piling up, with $6.5 billion lost in 2023.

Bubba’s Two Cents

Why are these ratings so low? It’s probably a blend of Republican-led anti-institutional sentiment and general frustration with the bureaucratic inefficiency and dysfunction many people see in federal agencies.