Majority don’t want government shutdown to be used as negotiation tool by Congress: Poll

Three in four people disapprove of Congress using the threat of a government shutdown as a negotiation tactic to reach their goals, according to a Marist poll released Wednesday.

In a major test for newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), the House passed a short-term funding bill in a move to avert a government shutdown on Tuesday. The so-called laddered continuing resolution would keep some federal agencies open at current spending levels until mid-January and others until Feb. 2.

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The bill must now go through the Senate and then be signed by President Joe Biden before government funding expires on Friday. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) indicated on Tuesday that the chamber will try to pass the bill as quickly as possible, emphasizing the need to get it done before Friday at midnight.

If the Senate is successful in pushing through the stopgap measure, Johnson will once again be tested as the House tries to pass the remaining five appropriations bills ahead of the two funding deadlines.

The final vote was 336 to 95, with 209 Democrats joining 127 Republicans to pass the bill. A number of hard-right Republicans voted against their party’s shutdown bill, with 93 GOP lawmakers opposed, compared to only two Democrats.

Days after Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown in September, eight Republicans voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), citing his negotiations with Democrats as a reason for his removal. Those same eight GOP members defied their new leader, voting against Johnson’s bill.

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The poll found that more people would blame Republicans in Congress if the government shut down than Democrats and President Joe Biden — 49% to 43%, respectively.

Looking into the public’s overall view of the two parties in Congress, 60% believe congressional Democrats are more unified than congressional Republicans, with only 27% thinking the GOP is united. In a surprising discovery, 36% of Republican respondents believe the Democrats are the more unified party, while 52% of Republicans think the GOP in Congress is united.