Featured December 15, 2025 A deeper look at the stories featured in The Cost to Your Community product, a new tool from the Partnership for Public Service Back to Blog Americans are hearing claims about government spending, but many struggle to identify if they are true Date February 2, 2026 Authors Hannah Sobran Tags Government Effectiveness A nationally representative survey conducted by the Partnership for Public Service in April 2025 shows that many Americans lack a strong understanding about how federal government programs and spending work, making it difficult for them to evaluate the accuracy of common claims about federal spending. The survey asked Americans to identify whether four statements discussed in the news related to government spending cuts were true or false. For each statement, 50% or less of the respondents correctly identified whether a statement was true or false. These findings underscore how misinformation combined with a lack of public awareness of government programs, services, and spending can distort public perception of the federal government’s ability to steward taxpayer dollars and effectively serve the public. As such, correcting falsehoods about federal spending is critical to rebuilding trust in the government, which enables it to more responsively meet people’s needs. The survey, completed March 31-April 6, 2025, included four claims about government spending that received attention from news media and on social media during the first months of the Trump administration. Three of those were unfounded claims repeated by senior Trump administration officials which included statements about alleged social security fraud, money sent to Hamas to buy condoms, and government payments to Politico and The New York Times to influence news coverage. Nonpartisan fact-checking organizations such as PolitiFact and FactCheck.org, as well as the Social Security Administration corrected these claims. The fourth statement used in the survey, which is accurate, described how much of the national budget is devoted to foreign aid. Many people cannot identify whether claims about government spending are true When asked whether they believed a claim about spending was true or false, between 30% and 50% of respondents correctly identified the statement’s accuracy. Between 21% and 36% were unsure if a statement was true or false, and between 20% and 39% answered incorrectly. One-half of the respondents correctly identified that the United States had not sent $50 million to Gaza to buy condoms for Hamas, while only 30% knew that the statement about giving money to Politico and The New York Times was false. Partisan divides shape how people perceive statements about government spending In addition, party affiliation affected whether respondents knew the accuracy of the four statements. Independents answered “don’t know” to each of the questions at much higher rates than Democrats or Republicans, while Democrats were more likely to answer each of the questions correctly than Independents or Republicans. Americans are hearing claims about waste and fraud in government A majority of respondents were familiar with the claim that millions of dead people receive Social Security benefits. President Trump repeated this statement during his February 2025 State of the Union address, and Elon Musk made the claim numerous times while leading the Department of Government Efficiency. The claim heard by the least amount of respondents was that the government gave tens of millions of dollars to Politico and The New York Times to influence news coverage. This research shows that there is work to be done in ensuring that the public understands how the federal government works. Efforts to illuminate the work of the federal government and promote clear and compelling information about its spending, projects and personnel will help increase Americans’ awareness of the work their government does. The Partnership is tracking changes to government and seeking to educate the public about the work government does through our Cost to Your Government and Cost to Your Community initiatives. Additionally, the Partnership’s latest update to the Cost to Your Community includes an analysis of spending trends for federal aid and contracts in each state. For more analysis, read the Partnership’s trust in government report and overview of how Americans perceive the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal government.
