Poll: Nearly two-thirds of voters back Dem plan to reopen government

Almost two-thirds of voters polled in a new survey support a Democratic proposal to reopen shuttered parts of the federal government while allowing more time for negotiations on President Trump’s proposed border wall.

The Quinnipiac University National Poll, released on Monday, found that 63 percent of respondents backed “opening the parts of the government that have nothing to do with border security while continuing to negotiate funding for the wall.” Thirty percent of voters opposed the plan.

{mosads}House Democrats have passed a series of spending bills to reopen and fund most shuttered government agencies through Sept. 30, while funding the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8 to allow more time for wall negotiations.

The partial government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, is now the longest in U.S. history. Trump and congressional Democrats remain at an impasse over funding for a border wall.

Eighty-six percent of Democratic poll respondents supported the shutdown-ending plan in the Quinnipiac poll, compared with 39 percent of Republicans. The approach garnered backing from 65 percent of independents polled.

Trump on Monday rejected a similar proposal to temporarily fully reopen the government while wall negotiations continue.

“I’m not interested. I want to get it solved. I don’t want to just delay it. I want to get it solved,” he said when asked about Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) suggestion that Trump sign a stopgap spending bill.

The poll also found that 56 percent of voters blame Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown. Thirty-six percent pointed the finger at Democrats on Capitol Hill.

The survey was conducted Jan. 9-13 among 1,209 voters and has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.