President Donald Trump blamed Democrats for the ongoing shutdown of the federal government — but who do Americans blame?
A new flash poll from The Washington Post found that “significantly” more Americans blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the shutdown than Democrats in Congress. The poll surveyed 1,010 people on Wednesday — the first day of the latest shutdown — to ask which political party is to blame.
The poll found that 47% of Americans blame Trump and congressional Republicans, 30% blame congressional Democrats and 23% are not sure. The poll found that political independents were more than twice as likely to blame Trump and Republicans for the shutdown as Democrats.
Half of independents blamed Trump and GOP lawmakers, 22% blamed Democrats and 29% were not sure, according to the poll.
The rest of the responses were divided along party lines when it came to who is responsible. Sixty-seven percent of Republicans blamed Democrats for the shutdown, while 87% of Democrats blamed Trump and his political party for the shutdown.
The poll also asked respondents about Democrats’ proposal to extend Obamacare subsidies before they expire next year. Democrats have vowed to oppose any legislation that does not extend these healthcare subsidies, warning that premiums could skyrocket for millions of Americans.
The poll found that 71% of Americans believe these subsides should be extended while 29% said they should end as scheduled. Forty-seven percent of Americans said Democrats should demand health insurance subsidies be extended “even if it continues a government shutdown.” Another 24% said Democrats should compromise to end the shutdown.
The Washington Post poll was conducted by text message on Oct. 1 among 1,010 adults. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
The federal government shut down on Wednesday after Congress failed to approve a spending package to fund the government past the Sept. 30 deadline. Senate Democrats largely voted against the GOP bill, vowing to oppose it until the bill includes an extension for Obamacare subsidies that are expiring next year.
Despite Republicans holding the majorities in the House and Senate, Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown.
It’s not clear how long the shutdown could last as both sides continue to dig in. Republicans refused to negotiate with Democrats over the spending bill, and Democrats appear ready to oppose the bill until they get healthcare subsidies extended.
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