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Congress' approval ratings sink to record low, poll finds by Catalina Camia - Feb. 9, 2012 01:00 PM USA Today Can the job approval ratings for Congress get any lower? For House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the answer is a troubling "yes" in a big election year. A new Gallup Poll shows only 10% of Americans approve of the way Congress does its job, a new record-low for the government's legislative branch. That rating is 1 percentage point lower than the record set in December. On the flip side, a whopping 86% of Americans disapprove of the way Congress does its job. The low ratings continue a trend from last year, when congressional approval averaged 17% in Gallup surveys. President Obama has made criticism of Congress one of his consistent themes this year, and will likely continue with that message going into the November elections. Membership in the House or the Senate also has been used against GOP presidential contenders Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul. In the 2010 elections, when Republicans seized control of the House and narrowed the Democratic majority in the Senate, congressional approval stood at 21%. Gallup finds that Democrats and Republicans are equally frustrated with Congress, but both parties are in double digits with their approval ratings. Independents, meanwhile, give Congress the lowest marks. Just 8% say they approve of the way federal legislators are doing their jobs. |