Better government in a post-Trump America

In 2024, Donald Trump and Republicans across the nation were elected on a platform stating that the government has failed us. More specifically, they campaigned on the belief that government has failed to put America, and Americans, first. They campaigned on things often heard in conversations around many dinner tables: that government is too big, too slow, and too inefficient. While Trump was forthcoming about all of his troubling ideology, it’s likely that personal experiences of government inaction were top of mind for many of his supporters at the ballot box. They have waited on hold for hours with Social Security or the Department of Veterans Affairs, struggled to navigate confusing systems like IRS tax filings or Small Business Administration loans, and witnessed the government move at a glacial pace to address the critical issues of our time.

Voting for Donald Trump to address these concerns was diagnosing the wrong problem.

Before the second Trump administration, government was stretched thin, fragmented, and difficult to access. Now, because of ideological moves that have gutted core services, the administration has undermined the very foundations of what government needs to be. They turned thin public services into a bloated tool of corruption, where $1.96 trillion was given to America’s billionaires in the One Big Beautiful Bill. They chainsawed a fragmented safety net into a gaping hole of poverty, where people can’t pay their rent, or dream of affording a mortgage. They transformed an out of reach government into one that strikes fear into its constituency from Washington to Minnesota and yes, Phoenix.

I see this every day at work. Currently, I serve as Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari’s district community manager and work to provide outreach to communities across Phoenix, Glendale and Guadalupe. In my work thus far, our office has had a presence at more than three hundred community events, we have hosted dozens of town halls (so far), and have reached tens of thousands of constituents. My primary role is to serve as a connector between people and the government that is supposed to serve them. In this time, what I have seen has startled me and many of my counterparts.

In district offices across the country, a clear pattern emerges. Constituents reach out not because they expect special treatment, but because they cannot get a response anywhere else. They are eligible for services, but cannot navigate the process. They qualify for support, but cannot reach the right person. They are told help exists, but experience a system that feels out of reach. Worse, they reach out when it is too late for anyone to act.

This is a failure of capacity and intention.

For decades, the government has been tasked with taking on increasingly complex challenges: housing shortages, rising healthcare costs, immigration backlogs, and economic transitions that reshape entire communities. Yet public expectation has not come close to matching the necessary investment in staffing, infrastructure, or modernization. The result is predictable: delays, confusion, and frustration that erode public trust. With that erosion of public trust comes people like Donald Trump who argue that government can be made better, by further cutting the legs out from under itself.

A more effective government is not simply a matter of cutting or expanding programs. It requires rethinking how the government operates at its core. That begins with efficiency, not as a slogan or a meme, but as a commitment to making systems actually work. Systems that work with people, not around them. Streamlined processes, modern technology, and clear lines of responsibility can reduce redundancy and improve response times. But efficiency does not come from doing less; it comes from doing things better.

Equally important is accessibility. A public service that exists on paper but cannot be easily accessed might as well not exist at all. Language barriers, complex applications, limited outreach, and digital divides all prevent people from receiving the support they are entitled to. If the government is to serve the public, it must meet people where they are, physically, culturally, and technologically.

Finally, there is the question of scale. Many of the challenges faced today are simply larger than the systems designed to address them. A housing crisis cannot be resolved with limited staffing and outdated tools. An overwhelmed immigration system cannot function effectively without sufficient personnel and coordination. When the size of the problem outpaces the size of the response, inefficiency is inevitable.

This is why the conversation about the size of government is so often misguided. The real choice is not between a “big” government and a “small” one. It is between a government that has the capacity to deliver and one that does not.

Skepticism toward the government is understandable. There have been real failures, inefficiencies, and reasons for frustration. Under the Trump Administration, we have seen the very worst of this. But a shrinking government does not resolve these issues, it often exacerbates them. Understaffed agencies fall further behind. Overburdened systems become less responsive. The very problems people experience become more pronounced, not less.

A more effective path forward is to build a government that is more vast in capacity and better in performance. That means investing in the people who deliver services, modernizing outdated systems, and designing programs with the user (people) in mind. It means treating public service not as an afterthought, but as a core function worthy of attention and resources.

I believe that in a post-Trump era, the government can be made better. Government can be characterized by fairness and reasonableness, but also as a force that isn’t afraid of caring for the people who empower it. Imagine a government where a constituent can resolve an issue in days, not months. Where agencies coordinate instead of compete. Where services are clear, accessible, and responsive. Where people feel supported, not frustrated, when they seek help. But above all, when people ask for assistance, they are met with compassion.

If we are willing to build a government defined by competence instead of chaos, capacity instead of scarcity, and compassion instead of cruelty, we can restore not only public trust, but the promise of American democracy itself.