Congress’s approval slips to 18 percent

Public approval of Congress has fallen to under 20 percent for the first time since the GOP took control of the House this year.

Just 18 percent of adults approve of the way Congress is handling its job, down from 23 percent last month, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

Approval of lawmakers’ work ticked down across all ideological groups, too. Fifteen percent of independents said they approved of Congress, down from 23 percent in February; 20 percent of Democrats approve, down from 25 percent.

Even Republicans are less pleased with Congress, despite Republican control of the House. Twenty percent of Republicans approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 23 percent last month.

The last month and a half in Congress has seen the GOP House and the Democratic Senate locked in a protracted fight over spending, both during the rest of this fiscal year, and for next year’s budget. That fight still shows no signs of resolution.

The Gallup poll, conducted March 2-6, has a four percent margin of error.