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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for June 18, 2018

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By Scott Rasmussen

The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

June 18, 2018: A survey conducted for Government Executive magazine found that 51% of federal civilian employees support President Trump’s effort making it easier to fire poorly performing federal employees. That figure includes 26% who strongly approve.[1]

Twenty-four percent (24%) oppose the effort and 20% are neutral.

Government Executive noted that President Trump’s executive orders streamlining the firing process “drew swift opposition from federal employee groups” and mixed reviews from outside observers. Lawsuits have been filed in an attempt to prevent the implementation of the president’s plan.

The survey also found that 42% of federal civilian employees have a positive view of federal employee unions while 25% have a negative view.

The survey is based on a sample of only 176 survey respondents, so the precise numbers should be viewed with caution. However, the magazine notes that the data concerning union approval is similar to earlier data.

An earlier Number of the Day reported that there were 16,000 fewer federal jobs after nine months of the Trump administration. Additionally, just 17 percent of federal workers are under 35 years old.

The challenge of poorly performing federal employees was highlighted by the fact that 213 IRS workers had been rehired after earlier termination or separation for misconduct.

In recent years, there has been a tremendous growth in regulation by the federal bureaucracy. There are currently 283,996 federal regulators: twice as many as in 1990 and five times as many as in 1960.

Trump’s executive orders are featured in Ballotpedia’s Administrative State Project, which examines the administrative and regulatory activities of the United States government. The project also covers concepts, laws, court cases, scholarly work, and other material related to the administrative state.


Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.


Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.

The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.

Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.

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