The government shutdown continues into its second week and a new poll shows Americans disapproval with Congress is growing.
According to a recent Gallup poll the congressional job approval rating is now down 8 points to just 11%. Factor in the margin of error and it ties the worst congressional approval rating in Gallup history.
Democrats' declining regard toward Congress was a driving force behind Capitol Hill's overall tanking approval rating. Democrats' view of Congress dropped 15 points since September, from 20% to 5% in October, largely thanks to disapproval with the Republican-led House. This declining view of the GOP House can also have long-lasting effects as Democrats try to regain the gain House during the 2014 midterm elections.
By comparison, the congressional approval rating is now far lower than it was during the December 1995 shutdown. While Gallup at the time did not conduct month-by-month measurements, before the showdown in September 1995, lawmakers' approval rating hit a low of 30% and rebounded to 35% in April 1996, after the shutdown ended.
These polling numbers should not be a shock to Washington as Americans continue to air their disappointment with the government shutdown. According to additional recent polling Republicans are carrying most of the blame for the government shutdown.
“While members of Congress may continue to argue that problems with the image of the body as a whole is not their fault, and that they are doing nothing more than faithfully representing their particular constituents, it is clear that even their own constituents are less positive about the job they are doing than they were in the past,” Gallup pollsters found.