86% Disapprove of Congress, Tying Gallup's Record; Republican Approval Has Fallen 40 Points in 13 Months
Approval of Congress has fallen to 10% in Gallup's April 1-15 poll, with 86% disapproval matching the all-time high in a series that began in 1974. Republicans — whose party controls both chambers — have driven the collapse, dropping from 63% approval in March 2025 to 23% now.
Americans' approval of Congress fell to 10% in Gallup's April 1–15 survey, with 86% disapproval tying the record high in Gallup's Congress-approval series, which began in 1974. The historical average since 1974 is 28% approval; the post-9/11 peak was 84%.
The collapse has been driven by Republicans, whose party controls both chambers. In March 2025, two months into Donald Trump's second term, 63% of Republicans approved of Congress. By April 2026 that had fallen to 23% — a 40-point drop in 13 months with no change in which party controls the legislature.
Current party breakdown
| Group | Approval | Disapproval |
|---|---|---|
| Republicans | 23% | — |
| Independents | 11% | — |
| Democrats | 3% | — |
| All adults | 10% | 86% |
The arc since Trump's return to office
- January 2025: 17% approval
- March 2025: 31% approval (Gallup's Trump-era peak)
- Post-October 2025 DHS shutdown: low-to-mid teens
- April 2026: 10% approval, 86% disapproval
What Gallup cited as context
The poll ran during the 10th week of a partial Department of Homeland Security shutdown; during the US war with Iran and its aftereffects on gas prices; and as two members of Congress resigned over ethics investigations in the closing days of the polling period. Gallup analyst Megan Brenan also attributed the Republican drop in particular to frustration that Congress had not passed legislation including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.
Historical context
86% disapproval has been reached in Gallup's series only a handful of times, and it has clustered around government-shutdown events. Three of the five disapproval peaks since 1974 coincided with a shutdown or an imminent-shutdown threat; the December 2011–February 2012 debt-ceiling fight and the fall 2013 shutdown each produced comparable peaks. The post-9/11 high of 84% approval — the mirror image of April's reading — has not been approached since.
Methodology
Telephone interviews (80% cellphone, 20% landline) with 1,001 adults age 18+ across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, April 1–15, 2026. Margin of error ±4 percentage points at 95% confidence. Fieldwork by ReconMR. Poll authored by Megan Brenan for Gallup.