Poll: Congress doesn’t deserve break

More than eight in 10 voters say Congress should not be spending a month away from Washington. [WATCH VIDEO]

As lawmakers wind down their first of a five week August recess, a Fox News poll finds that 82 percent of voters believe Congress has “not worked hard enough” to deserve its annual summer recess. 

Voters from every party are in agreement: Only 17 percent of Democrats said Congress deserves a break, while 13 percent of Republicans said the same. 

Independents are the least pleased with Congress’s output, with 10 percent saying they have earned a recess. 

{mosads}The last Congress was the least productive in terms of the amount of bills passed and signed into law. However, The Washington Post found that the current 113th Congress is on track to approve even fewer bills. It has passed 22 bills so far, compared to 28 at the same period last Congress, according to The Post. 

The poll found that support for Democratic lawmakers in Congress is at 32 percent, while support for Republicans hangs at 24 percent. 

Voters are more forgiving of President Obama’s week away from Washington. Forty-eight percent of voters approved of his annual trip to Martha’s Vineyard, which begins next week. But those numbers are bolstered by Democrats approval, with 80 percent of Democrats feeling he is deserving while, 23 percent of Republicans and 36 percent of Independents saying the same. 

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While there is a wide consensus among voters, members of Congress themselves do not consider the month away from Washington a break, and it is officially titled a district work period. 

One Congressman, Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), even released a YouTube video Wednesday seeking to dispel the notion that members are on vacation. 

“I wanted to take a few minutes to dispel those rumors, and tell you a little bit about the work I will actually be doing during the August district work period,” he said. “Let me first assure you that while my time at home in Nevada is enjoyable, most weeks it is anything but vacation.”

Heck describes meeting with constituents, business owners and his staff in the district. 

The survey polled 1,007 registered voters between Aug. 3-5 with a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.