Just 7% Say There Is Not Very Much Fraud in Federal Spending

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• Just 7% of voters say that there is Not Very Much waste and fraud in federal spending.
  • In contrast, 57% say that either A Lot of (42%) or Most (15%) spending is waste and fraud.
  • Another 31% say there is Some waste and fraud.
  • These numbers are nearly identical to last month’s poll on the same topic.
  • Two thirds (64%) of Republicans say that either A Lot or Most spending is waste and fraud.
  • In contrast, half (50%) of Democrats fall into those categories.
• Meanwhile, a plurality (41%) of voters say that it is possible to balance the federal budget simply by eliminating waste and fraud.
  • About a third (35%) disagree and say it is not possible.
  • The number saying it is not possible has risen from 26% in 2022.
  • A majority (55%) of Republicans say it is possible to balance the budget in this way, while a plurality (44%) of Democrats disagrees.
  • Earlier in February, Scott Rasmussen explained balancing the budget in this way is simply not possible.
• When asked to define what waste and fraud is, a plurality (28%) of voters said it meant inefficient spending, while 21% said it was misplaced priorities.
  • Corruption ranked third at 15%.

This data is from a Napolitan News Service survey of 1,000 Registered Voters conducted online by Scott Rasmussen, February 23-24, 2026. RMG Research, Inc., conducted the field work for the survey. It has a margin of error of +/- 3.1.