Americans’ Dissatisfaction With Speaker Paul Ryan, Congress Overall Is Growing, Poll Finds
Nearly three-quarters disapprove of Congress’s job performance, up 12 points since February
Americans hold dim views of Congress and of House Speaker Paul Ryan, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds, with favorable opinions declining since February.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans disapprove of Congress’s job performance, up 12 percentage points since February, the poll found. Just one-fifth said they approve of the job Congress is doing, a drop of 9 points.
The findings mark a return to recent norms in views of Congress, after a slight uptick in approval of lawmakers in February. With 20% approving of Congress, its rating is still slightly higher than in most months since May 2011.
Mr. Ryan (R., Wis.) is one focus of growing dissatisfaction, with 40% saying they view the House speaker negatively, compared with 22% who had a positive view—an 18-point gap. In February, unfavorable opinions outweighed positive ones by just 1 point.
The negative reviews come after a period in which House Republicans tried and failed to pass legislation to repeal most of the Affordable Care Act—a core element of the Republican platform. Mr. Ryan, who became the face of the bill in Congress, was forced to cancel a vote on the legislation after concluding it didn’t have the necessary votes. Talks continue among House Republicans to revive the bill.
Mr. Ryan, long considered a rising star in the GOP, saw his ratings drop among Republicans polled. Positive views of the speaker outweighed negative views in the latest survey by 23 points among Republicans—down from 49 points two months ago.
Nearly three-quarters disapprove of Congress’s job performance, up 12 points since February
Americans hold dim views of Congress and of House Speaker Paul Ryan, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll finds, with favorable opinions declining since February.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans disapprove of Congress’s job performance, up 12 percentage points since February, the poll found. Just one-fifth said they approve of the job Congress is doing, a drop of 9 points.
The findings mark a return to recent norms in views of Congress, after a slight uptick in approval of lawmakers in February. With 20% approving of Congress, its rating is still slightly higher than in most months since May 2011.
Mr. Ryan (R., Wis.) is one focus of growing dissatisfaction, with 40% saying they view the House speaker negatively, compared with 22% who had a positive view—an 18-point gap. In February, unfavorable opinions outweighed positive ones by just 1 point.
The negative reviews come after a period in which House Republicans tried and failed to pass legislation to repeal most of the Affordable Care Act—a core element of the Republican platform. Mr. Ryan, who became the face of the bill in Congress, was forced to cancel a vote on the legislation after concluding it didn’t have the necessary votes. Talks continue among House Republicans to revive the bill.
Mr. Ryan, long considered a rising star in the GOP, saw his ratings drop among Republicans polled. Positive views of the speaker outweighed negative views in the latest survey by 23 points among Republicans—down from 49 points two months ago.
