Washington: Approval of Congress among Americans is barely above its all-time low, according to a new poll.
A survey from Gallup, released Wednesday, found that Congress has just a 10% approval rating among U.S. adults — only a 1 percentage point difference compared to its lowest of 9% recorded in 2013. Meanwhile, disapproval of the institution tied its historic high since 1974, standing at 86%.
The likely reason, according to the poll, stems from periods of government shutdowns or the threat of one, which includes the current two-month shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, now in its 10th week. It also noted increased disapproval in December 2011 and February 2012, when the chambers sparred over federal spending and the budget.
But outside of the DHS, the poll noted that disapproval could be attributed to frustration among Republicans over the GOP-led Congress stalling on legislation, including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which President Donald Trump has continued to push for. The war in Iran, the accusations against two members of Congress who recently resigned and elevated gas prices may also play a role.
When Trump returned to the White House in January of last year, the approval rating of Congress began at 17%, climbing to 29% once the president was inaugurated and up again to 31% that March, according to the poll. But during and after the longest-ever government shutdown, which started in October 2025, approval of the body began to fall sharply.
And despite the Republican Party holding majorities in both the House and Senate, GOP voters are mostly responsible for the decline, the poll indicated, after the group approved of Congress by 63% in March 2025.
As of Monday, the most recent data available, 20% of Republicans approve of the way Congress is handling its job, while 11% of independents and just 3% of Democrats said the same, the poll showed.
According to Gallup’s 52-year polling history on the issue, congressional approval ratings have remained mainly underwater. Congress has typically averaged a 28% approval and 65% disapproval since the 1970s.
The poll, conducted via telephone from April 1 through April 15, surveyed 1,001 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
(By Rachel Cohen / Courtesy: N.J.com)
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