Sherwood News

America’s favorite (and least favorite) federal agencies

While the next government hangs in the balance, certain branches are simply more popular than others

7/29/24 9:06AM

Though we’re still months out from November, the presidential election race is getting more heated by what feels like the second, as an exceptionally eventful July obfuscated and even annulled some predictions of what the next US government might look like.

However, with the future heads of public bodies undecided (but hotly contested), politically weary Americans now have a less favorable view of nearly all federal agencies that comprise the US administration, according to recent surveys from Pew Research Center.

Out of the Depts

Indeed, Veterans Affairs was the only service that became more favorable in the public eye over that period. Knocking the Postal Service off of its (somewhat inexplicable) top spot, the National Park Service, with all its associated canyons and critters, was America’s favorite federal agency in 2023 — 81% of respondents had a favorable view and just 7% had an unfavorable view of the agency.

NASA — no stranger to both good and bad press in recent times — saw a slight decline in overall positive attitudes over the same timeframe. Net negative views of both the Department of Education and the IRS were recorded for the first time in last year’s survey, and although the tax-collecting IRS was, unsurprisingly, the least popular agency in 2023, what is perhaps surprising is that it was once much more popular: in 2019, respondents had a net favorable view of the agency by +15 percentage points.

A new rule from the Trump administration could make it easier to dismiss senior government workers

US federal employment levels already hit a 12-year low in October.

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Looking into its Warner Bros. acquisition, the DOJ probes Netflix for anticompetitive tactics

As the Department of Justice probes Netflix’s proposed $83 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, it has reportedly subpoenaed at least one other entertainment company to investigate whether the streamer has taken part in anticompetitive behavior.

Netflix said the DOJ is conducting a standard review and it expects its acquisition to be approved.

Per Wall Street Journal reporting, the DOJ is also seeking out information on how Paramount’s proposed acquisition could harm competition in the entertainment industry.

Netflix has argued that its acquisition of WBD would not be anticompetitive, as there is an 80% overlap in Netflix and HBO Max subscribers. The company has said it competes not just with streaming services but also with broader content platforms like YouTube and TikTok for attention. Netflix booked $45.2 billion in revenue in 2025, compared to YouTube’s $60 billion.

The streamer has repeatedly said it will stick to a 45-day theatrical release window for Warner Bros. films. Movie theater trade groups have pointed out that after theatrical release, many films move to premium video on-demand (PVOD), where they can be digitally rented or purchased for several more weeks or months before moving to streaming (subscription video on-demand, or SVOD). According to Cinema United, the average SVOD window for major theatrical films is 102 days, significantly longer than the potential 45-day window for Netflix.

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Per Wall Street Journal reporting, the DOJ is also seeking out information on how Paramount’s proposed acquisition could harm competition in the entertainment industry.

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Report: Meta pouring $65 million into PACs backing pro-AI state candidates

With a pro-tech, pro-AI administration in Washington, DC, Meta has decided the next battlegrounds that it needs to flood with cash are in individual states.

Starting in Meta’s home state of California, the tech giant is pledging $65 million to a pair of super PACs that it created to fund pro-tech and pro-AI candidates at the state level, according to a report from Politico.

Meta has funded the American Technology Excellence Project ($45 million) and Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (META) California ($20 million) to push back on what it sees as burdensome AI regulations coming from state legislatures.

The META California PAC will support tech-friendly candidates regardless of party.

Meta drops $65 million into super PACs to boost tech-friendly state candidates

The META California PAC will support tech-friendly candidates regardless of party.

When is TrumpRx launching?

Not on schedule, for one thing.

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FTC will appeal Meta antitrust case

Only a few months after successfully defending itself from an FTC antitrust lawsuit, Meta may be heading back to court. Today, the FTC announced that it would appeal the decision, reopening a yearslong suit.

The FTC called Meta’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp an illegal monopoly. The judge in the case found that in the years since the suit was first brought, the competitive landscape had changed dramatically, with Meta facing fierce competition from TikTok.