Americans think both Congress and the government suck

Here’s an anomaly for you: Although Americans regularly express pride in our country, they increasingly disapprove of our government, including the presidency and especially Congress. And who can blame them? Washington is doing a terrible job.

Let’s start with Congress: The share of Democrats who approve of how Congress is handling its job is just 3 percent.  

The number is only a little better when everyone is included. According to a new Gallup poll, Americans’ approval of the 119th Congress has fallen to 10 percent, with 86 percent disapproving. That’s the second lowest approval rating on record. The lowest was 9 percent in November 2013, while President Barack Obama was in office.

Breaking that down along party lines: 20 percent of Republicans approve of how this Congress is doing its job. That’s down from a high of 63 percent in March 2025 — the month before President Trump announced his reciprocal tariffs scheme. Republican approval has been on a mostly downward trend ever since. 

Only 11 percent of Independents approve of Congress.   

For comparison, during Trump’s first term in office, Republican approval of Congress ranged from 20 percent his first year to a high of 40 percent his last year. Democratic approval was only a little lower: between a low of 31 percent and a high of 38 percent — more than 10 times higher than Democrats’ current approval.

One reason for the approval decline is that Congress has........

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