William L. Kovacs

October 19, 2026

Who does the federal government represent? Is it “We the people?” or “We the Corporations?” Answering this question is as simple as looking at the issues voters support and the policies that become federal law.

The top voter issues, in reverse order, are money in politics, war and peace, and the economy and economic security. On each issue, Americans and the federal government have diametrically different goals.

Money in politics. Polls and surveys consistently show Americans support limits on campaign spending and strongly believe the wealthy exercise over sized influence on political decisions. A May 2027 Politico Poll found that 72% of Americans, with almost equal support from Republicans (77%) and Democrats (80%), agree there is too much money in politics and that billionaires have too much influence over political decision-making. 53% of Americans see the money in politics as corrupting. The U.S. Supreme Court alone, in the Citizens United case, unleashed a torrent of money that is corrupting the political process.

War and peace. The Military Times found that 53% to 40% of Americans oppose the war with Iran. 77% believe that our attack on Iran will result in a terrorist attack on American soil. The Iran war is a war of choice started by the President.

The economy. The top issue for American voters is the economy (84%), followed by the future of democracy (73%). On both issues, Congress has failed to enact any legislation to address the policies responsible for inflation, the tariffs, the Iran war, and the disruption of supply lines; all decisions were voluntarily initiated by the president. 

Approval ratings. President Trump has a 34% approval rating among Americans. President Biden has a 40% approval rating. U.S. polling data finds Congress has a 19% approval rating for its work and a 67% disapproval rating. According to Gallup polling, the U.S. Supreme Court only has a 34% approval rating, its lowest since Gallup began polling in 1972.

Federal government successes. Only 27% of Americans trust the federal government, according to The Partnership for Public Service. 72% consider it corrupt and 75 consider it wasteful. Its successful programs include Social Security and protecting vulnerable populations, and 65% believe all Americans should have health coverage. Despite what Americans seek from their government, Congress cut over $1 trillion from Medicaid, which subsidizes health coverage for the poor. The cut dramatically increased premiums, causing 4.2 million citizens to lose ACA health coverage and another 3.8 million to lose Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance coverage.

Disaster response also receives high marks for federal actions to assist with natural disasters, yet Congress and the Trump administration cut $4.5 billion from the disaster relief budget.

Citizens do, however, trust local government and its leaders to handle community issues, with 67% approval. Public sentiment reflects a policy disconnect between voters and elected officials.

Realpolitik involves money to win elections, but it destroys trust in government. Large political contributions are made because they consistently produce subsidies, tax preferences, favorable regulation, government contracts, or lax enforcement for the big corporate spenders. Unlike quid pro quo bribery, which is illegal, the federal government has made the arrangement legal. Congress votes to approve subsidies, grants, and other federal dollars for contributing corporations, and in return, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized unlimited corporate campaign expenditures.

Studies now show that citizens receive benefits only when corporations support them. 

A study by Professors Martin Gilens (UCLA) and Benjamin I. Page (Northwestern University), published by Cambridge University, provides the first roadmap for building a statistical foundation to determine the corporate benefits of massive political contributions.

In “Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens,” the two authors reviewed 1,779 unique data sets to determine who influences policy in the U.S. Their key finding is that the economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantially more impact on U.S. policy compared to average citizens, who the study finds have near-zero influence. Moreover, because of the strong status quo built into the U.S. Political system, even when fairly large majorities of Americans favor policy change, they generally do not get it, unless the elites also seek the same changes.

The term “data set” refers to the author’s empirical effort to compile data generated over many years to estimate the influence on public policy of “affluent citizens, poor citizens, and those in the middle of the income distribution.” The surveys asked participants whether they favored or opposed specific policy options based on the policy’s specificity, its relevance to the federal government, and participants’ income levels. It also included colleagues’ research on interest groups active on those issues and the resources they deploy to influence the problem.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) now gives citizens the computing power to uncover evidence that could directly link corporate political contributions to federal policies (laws, regulations, court decisions) that implement corporate demands. Simply put, AI could statistically link political contributions to beneficial corporate policy and benefits. The focus is not on money-to-member corruption, which is illegal, but on something more significant: political contributions to Congress and the president to buy favorable policy. The statistics will show that massive amounts of money are turning the federal government into an agent for corporations.

The Constitution begins with “We the People,” not “We the Corporations.” If political contributions to Congress and the president can generate substantial federal money for business and the courts approve such gifts, voters must ask what happens to democracy.

William L. Kovacs served as senior vice president for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and chief counsel to a congressional committee. His books include: Congress: An Irrelevant Institution or Guardian of the Republic, Reform the Kakistocracy, the recipient of the 2021 Independent Press Award for Social/Political Change, and  Devolution of Power. He can be contacted at [email protected]