Senate

Congress hits its lowest approval rating in Gallup since 2015

The U.S Capitol photographed on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Americans’ approval of how Congress is “handling its job” has fallen to its lowest point since 2015, according to a new Gallup survey.

Just 12 percent in the latest Gallup poll approved of how Congress is handling its job, a tick up from November 2015, when 11 percent approved of Congress.

Eighty-three percent said they disapproved of how Congress is handling its job, while 5 percent said they have no opinion on the issue.

This has been one of the most chaotic Congresses in American history.

It began with a lengthy and historic battle to elect Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was then booted from the job in October.

New Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is now dealing with a looming government shutdown and divides in his conference over aiding Ukraine and funding the government.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday warned his House colleagues against risking a shutdown.

“Shutting down the government is harmful to the country. And it never produces positive outcomes — on policy or politics,” McConnell said on the Senate floor.

The survey also found Congress’s job approval down 3 percent from last month, when it was at 15 percent. Last year at a similar time, Congress’s job approval was also higher than it is now, at 18 percent.

Only 19 percent in the same survey said they are satisfied with “the way things are going in the United States at this time.” Seventy-nine said they are dissatisfied with current conditions in the U.S., while 2 percent said they have no opinion on the issue.

The Gallup survey was conducted between Feb. 1-10, featuring 1,016 adults and a margin of error of 4 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.