A new AP-NORC poll shows that Americans are roughly equally divided in blaming President Donald Trump, congressional Republicans, and Democrats for the recent government shutdown. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said both Trump and congressional Republicans are responsible, while 54 percent cited Democrats in Congress.
The numbers reveal sharp partisan lines. Among Democrats, 86 percent blame Trump and 82 percent blame congressional Republicans. Meanwhile, 73 percent of Republicans place the blame on Democrats.
Democrats have been pushing to leverage the GOP’s need for bipartisan support to extend expiring tax credits on health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). However, the poll finds that 42 percent of Americans have no opinion on whether the credits should be extended, signaling that the policy fight at the center of the shutdown has not yet resonated broadly with voters.
This mirrors other national polling conducted immediately after the shutdown, indicating that Democrats’ focus on health care isn’t gaining traction. At the same time, Republicans continue to earn higher marks on economic issues.
Despite hints from Trump and other GOP leaders that they might support a tax credit extension, congressional negotiations have made little progress. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday he is considering holding a vote on extending the tax credits alongside a vote to reopen the government, but did not commit to saving the subsidies.
The AP-NORC poll was conducted October 9-13, interviewing 1,289 adults nationwide, and carries a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.