Pollster Mallory Newall says the possibility of a government shutdown explains Americans’ worries about government dysfunction and the lack of trust in U.S. institutions.
“If you look over periods of time, there’s a lot of evidence showing that Americans’ trust in institutions is at an all-time low,” Newall, research director at Ipsos Public Affairs, told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha in an interview that aired Thursday on “What America’s Thinking.”
“I think when you take that longitudinal data, coupled with we may have a government shutdown in a matter of a day or two, it’s not surprising to me that government [dysfunction] creeps just a point or two above immigration or health care,” she continued.
Newall was referring to a Gallup survey released on Tuesday, which found that 19 percent of Americans said government was the top problem facing the U.S., while 16 percent said immigration was top.
Her comments come as the prospects for a government shutdown grow as Republican leaders scramble to pass a short-term funding bill.
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said on Thursday that Trump said he would not sign a stopgap spending bill that had been passed by the Senate over concerns about border security.
The legislation would have funded the government through Feb. 8 but does not provide additional funding for Trump’s proposed border wall along the U.S. southern border.
But conservatives revolted at a House GOP meeting on Friday morning and are pushing for $5 billion in funding for the wall.
— Julia Manchester
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