Still low, congressional approval ticks up

Five months after Republicans took control of both chambers, congressional approval is ticking up.

{mosads}Approval has bounced back to 19 percent, up 4 points from early April, according to a Gallup survey released Wednesday.

For three of the last four months, approval has remained at or above 18 percent. By comparison, approval averaged 15 percent in 2014, near the historic low of 14 percent set the previous year.

The first few months since Republicans took control of the Senate and extended their control in the House have included a flurry of legislative work, contrasting with the partisan gridlock that dominated the previous Congress.

The Senate recently confirmed the nomination of Loretta Lynch, President Obama’s pick for attorney general, and lawmakers passed major legislation on Medicare.

Republican and Democratic senators also ironed out disagreements to overwhelmingly pass a bill giving Congress the ability to weigh in on a deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, as well as an anti-human-trafficking bill.

Still, legislation authorizing Obama’s military action against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria remains stalled, and Democrats have rallied against giving Obama fast-track authority for trade deals.

Despite the GOP controlling both chambers, 73 percent of Republicans disapprove of the job Congress is doing, compared with 80 percent of Democrats.

Less than a quarter of Americans, regardless of political affiliation, think Congress is doing a good job, with 21 percent of Republicans and 18 percent of Democrats and independents voicing approval.

The most recent Gallup survey of 1,024 U.S. adults was conducted via landlines and cellphones May 6-10 with a margin of error of 4 points.