Most in new poll say system of checks and balances not working well

Most in a new poll said the system of checks and balances in the U.S. government is not working well.

When asked about the functioning of “the system of checks and balances between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the federal government,” 54 percent of registered voters in a Quinnipiac University poll described it as doing “not so well” and “not well at all.”

Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed described the system of checks and balances as functioning “very well” and “somewhat well.” 

The Trump administration has undertaken an effort to widely change the structure of government in its first few weeks, including President Trump’s Office of Personnel Management ordering the heads of departments and agencies to end all diversity, equity and inclusion offices and personnel and his signing an order halting federal funds from going to K-12 schools that teach critical race theory or gender issues.

There has been a recent push for a stronger response to the president among Democrats, with anger in the party’s base rising due to Trump’s policies. With the president’s attempts to take apart portions of the federal government causing frustration, some Democrats have been speaking about a need to be fiercer.

Forty-five percent of respondents in the Quinnipiac poll said that they are in favor “of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president,” while 49 percent said the opposite.

The Quinnipiac University poll was conducted between Feb. 13 and 17 among 1,039 people and features a 3 percentage point margin of sampling error.