This article is for government affairs, public policy, and regulatory professionals looking to understand the state of their industry heading into 2026. It summarizes findings from a survey of 181 government affairs professionals and identifies the top five challenges shaping the field, including issue overload, visibility risk, and operational strain. The article explains why these challenges are intensifying amid growing policy complexity and organizational pressure. Readers gain a clear snapshot of the 2026 government affairs landscape.
Key Takeaways
- Government affairs teams are tracking more issues than ever, often across multiple jurisdictions.
- The biggest day-to-day concern is missing an important legislative or regulatory development.
- Many teams struggle to clearly show the strategic value of their work to leadership.
- Interest in AI is growing, but organizations are becoming more cautious about how it’s used.
- Ongoing complexity and limited resources are putting strain on government affairs operations.
Government affairs professionals are feeling intense pressure to manage growing complexity with limited resources. To understand the landscape, FiscalNote surveyed 181 professionals working across government relations, public policy, and regulatory affairs. They represent a broad range of industries, organizational sizes, and role types.
The findings in the 2026 State of Government Affairs Report suggest 2026 will continue to present a challenging environment. You’ll likely have to navigate a landscape characterized by expanding policy agendas, heightened scrutiny, and rapid technological change.
At the same time, sustained political complexity shapes how your team monitors mission-relevant topics and gets the vital work done. From dealing with issue overload to proving their value to the organization, government affairs pros report they face a range of hurdles when it comes to impact effectiveness, credibility, and strategic influence.
Here we’ll take a look at the top five challenges you’re like to face this year, according to our survey.
1. Issue Overload
The largest group of respondents (29%) say they are tracking more than 20 issues. While policy volume varies by organization, it’s not unusual for government affairs teams to be following 10 or more topics at any given moment. A mere 6% report tracking just one to three issues. The data suggests that most teams operate under sustained policy pressure.
If your team is small and resource-constrained, it can be unwieldy to follow that many policies. Even for bigger government affairs teams, it can be difficult to stay on top of all these issues, especially if your organization is operating across multiple jurisdictions. The effort to monitor policy changes and track issues using manual means can tie up valuable time and distract from more pressing needs.
2. Fear of Missing Something Important
With so many issues and policies to keep track of, you’re likely worried about missing some important development. With so many moving parts in play, fully 58% of our survey respondents say the fear of missing key legislative or regulatory developments is their top day-to-day concern.
While teams are generally on top of the important changes, concern here has risen sharply, along with rising worries about the sheer volume of issues. When asked about points of friction, 51% of those surveyed cite the number of issues to track as a major concern, up sharply from 29% last year.
3. Proving Value
You know that the work you do is profoundly important to your organization. If you’re wrestling with how to prove that worth, you are not alone: 45% of respondents say they struggle to show the value of their team’s efforts. That’s up from 32% last year.
Government affairs professionals often operate in a gray zone: Your work is deeply strategic, driving significant organizational outcomes — but it doesn’t generate revenue directly. You’re influencing legislation, regulation, and funding, but tracking and reporting the tangible impacts presents an ongoing challenge.
The stakes are high here. Policy work becomes ever more complex, and you are likely finding it both stressful and challenging to connect the dots, to articulate clearly the organizational value that government affairs is generating.
4. Effectively Implementing AI
Organizations are looking to embrace the efficiency gains inherent in Artificial Intelligence — the ability to streamline routine tasks and accelerate other aspects of the work. Government affairs professionals recognize AI’s potential, but they say they are still struggling to apply it meaningfully in their day-to-day work.
The share of respondents who say they use for bill analysis and summary rose from 30% to 54% year-over-year. Clearly there is enthusiasm around that possibilities for process improvement.
But people are increasingly leery of AI: 46% say their organizations are open but cautious when it comes to AI, up sharply from 25% last year.
By the same token, 57% of respondents last year said their organizations were very open and actively seeking or using AI tools. This year, that share dropped to 41%.
5. Operational Breakdown
All these challenges together may be straining your team’s effectiveness. A startling 39% of respondents describe the current state of government affairs using language that signals dysfunction or breakdown.
Terms that resonated with survey respondents included things like “system breakdown” (39%), “Rapid change and complexity” (28%), and “Uncertainty / volatility” (16%). Government affairs professionals are highly committed, but their replies suggest a high degree of concern around organizational dysfunction.
The findings highlight the tension between your intrinsic commitment and the perceived organizational problems. This is emerging as one of the defining dynamics of 2026, with motivated and committed government affairs professionals experiencing a steady decline in confidence in the systems surrounding their work.
What Comes Next
The challenges facing government affairs in 2026 aren't going away. Policy volume will keep growing, scrutiny from leadership will intensify, and the pressure to do more with less will continue.
But you don't have to navigate this alone. The data shows that teams across the industry are grappling with the same issues—and finding ways to adapt.
For the full findings, including year-over-year trends, AI adoption data, and insights on where the profession is headed, download the 2026 State of Government Affairs Report.
Keep reading:
- How to Demonstrate the ROI of Government Affairs — Learn practical strategies for connecting your team's work to measurable business outcomes.
- How to Use AI in Your Policy Tracking Workflow — Get actionable tips for integrating AI into your day-to-day without sacrificing accuracy or oversight.
Ready to tackle these challenges? Learn more about PolicyNote and see how it helps government affairs teams cut through issue overload, surface what matters, and demonstrate impact.