Congressional Approval Rating Breakdown

Originally published April 6, 2022. Updated March 2026 with data from the 119th Congress.

Americans rarely agree on much — but their disdain for Congress is one place they find common ground. Voters once said they felt better about brussels sprouts, head lice, and root canals than Congress. As of March 2026, that sentiment hasn’t budged much. Congressional approval now sits at 15%, according to Gallup’s most recent tracking data — and 80% of Americans actively disapprove.

But it hasn’t always been this way. Congressional approval polling dates back to 1974, and the numbers have swung dramatically depending on the political moment. Here’s a full breakdown of where things stand today, how we got here, and what it means for your public affairs strategy.

How Is Congressional Approval Rating Determined?

Polling firms including Gallup, Quinnipiac University, and Morning Consult survey Americans monthly to gauge satisfaction with Congress. Respondents are typically asked: “Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way that the United States Congress is handling its job?”

Answers range from “totally disapprove” to “totally approve,” with neutral options in between. Each month’s figure reflects the congressional actions — or inactions — of that period, from major legislation and vetoes to high-profile gridlock.

Historical Congressional Approval Ratings

Congressional approval has fluctuated dramatically since tracking began in 1974:

• 1974: Approval started at 30%, in a post-Watergate environment of caution toward federal institutions
• 2001: Approval hit an all-time high of 84% in October, immediately following Congress’s response to the September 11 attacks — the only time in 52 years of polling where near-total consensus was achieved
• 2008–2010: As the War on Terror dragged on and the Great Recession hit, approval plummeted from 84% down to 13% by 2010
• 2013: Approval reached an absolute nadir of 9% in November during a federal budget impasse — according to Gallup
• 2021: The 117th Congress peaked at 36% in March 2021, following passage of President Biden’s American Rescue Plan
• 2022: Approval hovered at 20% as of February 2022, when this article was first published

The pattern is consistent: approval spikes in moments of national unity or legislative action, then slides back toward institutional distrust.

What Is the Current Congressional Approval Rating?

Congressional approval stands at 15% as of March 2026, per Gallup’s Congress and the Public tracker. That places it near the all-time low of 9% recorded in 2013.

The trajectory of the 119th Congress tells the story:

Data: Gallup Congress and the Public

The 119th Congress actually opened with a brief surge. Republicans secured a trifecta — holding the House, gaining the Senate, and returning Donald Trump to the White House — which generated a short “partisan honeymoon.” Approval climbed to 31% in March 2025, driven almost entirely by Republican optimism: GOP approval of Congress reached 61%, while Democratic approval fell to just 6%, representing a record 55-point partisan gap, according to Gallup.

That honeymoon didn’t last.

Why Is the Congressional Approval Rating So Low?

Three overlapping forces drove approval into the basement by late 2025.

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act”

The primary legislative vehicle of the 119th Congress — the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) — was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The sweeping bill, passed through budget reconciliation, permanently extended the 2017 tax cuts and introduced new deductions for tipped income and overtime pay. To offset those costs, it included an estimated $800 billion in Medicaid reductions and imposed work requirements for coverage, with the Congressional Budget Office projecting a $3.4 trillion increase in the total deficit over ten years.

Public opinion on the bill was skeptical from the start. A Pew Research Center survey from August 2025 found that 46% of Americans disapproved, while only 32% approved. Even within the Republican base, the bill divided opinion.

The Longest Government Shutdown in U.S. History

The real approval collapse came in the fall. Congress failed to pass twelve annual appropriations bills, sending the federal government into a 43-day shutdown — the longest in U.S. history — which ended on November 12, 2025. The standoff pitted Democratic resistance to the OBBBA’s social spending cuts against Republican refusal to compromise on immigration enforcement funding.

The public blamed everyone. Polling during the shutdown showed 39% blamed congressional Democrats, 34% blamed President Trump, and 26% blamed congressional Republicans. Congressional approval fell to 14% before the shutdown ended.

An Ongoing DHS Partial Shutdown

A second, partial shutdown began in late January 2026, targeting the Department of Homeland Security. The impasse — centered on ICE and Customs and Border Protection funding — has stretched into its fourth week as of March 2026, causing significant delays at national airports and disrupting spring break travel for thousands of Americans.

The cumulative effect: approval is now at 15%, with 80% of Americans actively disapproving of Congress, according to Gallup.

The Incumbency Paradox: Why Low Approval Doesn’t Change Congress Much

Here’s the number that puts all of this in sharp relief: despite near-record disapproval, 97% of congressional incumbents were re-elected in 2024, per U.S. Term Limits. That’s up from 94% in 2022 and 93% in 2020.

Data: Ballotpedia

This “incumbency paradox” — coined by political scientist Richard Fenno — captures a well-documented disconnect: Americans may loathe Congress as an institution, but they tend to give their own representatives a pass. Structural advantages like name recognition, fundraising, and district boundaries reinforce this effect.

That said, Congress is changing. The 119th Congress is the most racially and ethnically diverse on record for the eighth consecutive term. According to Pew Research Center, 139 voting members identify as Black, Hispanic, Asian American, or Native American. For the first time, Generation X has overtaken Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the House.

What the 2026 Midterms Could Mean

With approval in the basement, the 2026 midterms are shaping up as a referendum on Congress’s performance. Early generic ballot polling shows a consistent Democratic advantage. Aggregated data from March 2026 puts Democrats at roughly a +4.8% lead nationally, with some individual polls showing the gap as wide as +9 points among registered voters.

Independent voters — now a record 45% of U.S. adults, per Gallup — are breaking Democratic by significant margins in early polling, largely driven by economic anxiety and dissatisfaction with the OBBBA’s implementation.

The historical pattern suggests that low approval alone rarely flips Congress. But the combination of a 43-day shutdown, a DHS partial shutdown still underway, and broad public disapproval of the OBBBA creates a more volatile midterm environment than usual.

How to Use Congressional Approval Data in Your Public Affairs Strategy

Congressional approval ratings aren’t just political trivia — they’re a tool. Every member of Congress answers to constituents, and those constituents are reflected in these numbers.

When preparing for a meeting with a lawmaker, use approval data tactically:

• Tie your issue to public satisfaction. If your issue has broad popular support and Congress’s approval is historically low, draw the connection directly. A legislator’s constituents want action; your issue could be part of that action.
• Leverage partisan gaps. With a 55-point approval gap between Republicans and Democrats in 2025, understanding how your issue lands with each party’s base matters more than ever.
• Track legislative output, not just approval. Approval follows action. Bills passed, vetoes, and high-profile failures all move the needle — which means tracking legislative activity in real time gives you an early warning before approval data catches up.

Quorum makes it easier for your team to track what’s happening on Capitol Hill — legislation, regulations, social media dialogue, and more — so you can respond before the news cycle does. See how Quorum can help.

Data sourced from Gallup Congress and the Public, Quinnipiac University, Pew Research Center, Ballotpedia, and the Congressional Budget Office. All approval figures cited by polling source.