Partnership for Public Service statement on the results of the 2026 midterm elections 

WASHINGTON – The nonpartisan, nonprofit Partnership for Public Service today released the following statement from President and CEO Max Stier on the results of the 2026 midterm elections.

“We congratulate the members of Congress elected and re-elected by the American people this week, including the former public servants who will bring their experience and commitment to public service to Capitol Hill.

“Those elected will take office at a historic moment. Since January 2025, the Trump administration has shuttered federal agencies, pushed out experienced career professionals and eroded the guardrails that check waste and corruption. Americans notice when our institutions repeatedly fail the public: when our health infrastructure backslides and leaves communities vulnerable, when our food safety systems break down repeatedly, or when airport security lines stretch for hours and elected leaders use their positions for personal gain over the public interest.

“In the Partnership’s latest polling, government ethics and reform ranked as one of the most important issues to voters this election season, only behind inflation and the economy. 25% of respondents want the incoming Congress to prioritize the reduction of waste and fraud and 23% want elected leaders to prioritize oversight of the executive branch.

“Elected office carries an obligation to make our government institutions work for the people and Americans want a government that is accountable, respects the law and delivers on its promises.

“The next Congress can act on Day One to restore independent oversight, protect the career civil service from partisan influence, insist that agencies and their leaders carry out laws as Congress intends and clear the red tape that keeps government from delivering results. Through our Government for a New Era initiative, the Partnership is developing practical, cross-partisan solutions Congress can implement now and in the future. We are eager to work with all members to build an effective, responsive and accountable government that the American people deserve.”

The Partnership for Public Service is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better government and a stronger democracy.

Over the past 25 years and across five presidential administrations, we have offered government agencies and leaders crucial training and insights to better serve the public, championed legislation for effective government and shined a spotlight on the achievements of the federal workforce.

Now, building on our decades of experience, we engage the public about the value of government and how its erosion harms us all and advance reforms that seek to make our federal institutions more effective, responsive and accountable to the American people. We also strengthen leadership in federal, state and local government, help federal workers navigate an increasingly complex federal environment and provide former public servants with opportunities to shape efforts to transform government.

Visit ourpublicservice.org, follow us @PublicService and subscribe today to get the latest federal news, information on upcoming Partnership programs and events, and more.

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