- Polls show growing public anger over the shutdown, with 75% concerned and 43% "very concerned."
- Plurality blames Trump and Republicans—independents overwhelmingly blame the GOP, signaling political fallout.
- Shutdown's human costs mount: furloughed workers, SNAP cliff for 42 million, travel disruptions, and economic losses.
WASHINGTON—On the eve of what could become the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history, a fresh wave of polls is laying bare the raw frustration coursing through the country.
What started as a partisan spat over spending priorities on October 1 has ballooned into a full-blown crisis, furloughing hundreds of thousands of workers, snarling air travel, and threatening to yank food assistance from 42 million Americans.
And as the clock ticks toward November 1—when Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits are slated to dry up—voters aren’t mincing words: They’re pinning the blame on President Donald Trump and his Republican allies in Congress.
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The latest numbers from an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll, released Thursday, paint a stark picture. Three-quarters of Americans now express concern about the shutdown, with 43% calling themselves “very concerned”—a sharp jump from 25% on day one.
Nearly half, 45%, finger Trump and congressional Republicans as the culprits, compared to just 33% who point at Democrats.
Independents, often the swing vote that decides elections, are even harsher: They blame the GOP by a 2-to-1 margin.
“This isn’t just noise,” says Tim Malloy, polling analyst at Quinnipiac University, whose own survey echoes the trend. “Voters are feeling the pinch, and the GOP is taking the harder hit.”
Democrat Blame Comes Close in One Poll
It’s a far cry from the early days of the impasse, when some polls showed blame split more evenly. A Reuters/Ipsos survey from October 9 had 67% faulting Republicans to some degree and 63% doing the same for Democrats.
But as the shutdown stretches into its 31st day—surpassing the 21-day record from 1995-96 and inching toward the 35-day mark from Trump’s 2019 border wall standoff—public patience has worn thin.
A CNBC poll mid-month found 53% blaming Trump and the GOP versus 37% for Democrats, with independents siding against Republicans by a nearly 3-to-1 ratio.
Even an AP-NORC poll pegged Trump personally with the highest share of responsibility, at about 50% saying he bears “a great deal.”
At the heart of the deadlock? A bitter clash over expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies that help millions afford health insurance.
Democrats in Congress, holding firm in the Senate, refuse to back a clean funding bill without extending those tax credits, set to lapse at year’s end.
Republicans, controlling the White House and both chambers, decry it as a ploy for “healthcare for illegal aliens and gender mutilation procedures,” according to messaging on federal websites.
Trump himself has ratcheted up the rhetoric, calling on Thursday for eliminating the Senate filibuster “NOW” using the nuclear option.
“From the beginning, our message has been very simple: We will not be extorted on this crazy plot of theirs,” he said after huddling with Senate Republicans.
The Human Toll is Mounting ‘Fast’
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has dug in alongside him, refusing to reconvene the House until Democrats bend. “We’re not going to take our foot off the gas pedal,” Johnson told reporters this week, flanked by GOP leaders like Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Conference Chair Lisa McClain.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has floated a potential olive branch—a stopgap bill that could move first in the upper chamber—but talks remain frosty.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of senators, including Alabama’s Katie Britt and New York’s Chuck Schumer, held a rare chat about laying “the foundation” for appropriations work, but no breakthroughs emerged.
The Senate adjourned Friday until Monday, pushing the shutdown perilously close to day 34.
The human toll is mounting fast, turning abstract policy fights into everyday nightmares. Roughly 750,000 federal workers are either furloughed or laboring without pay—mirroring the 800,000 hit in 2019—while national parks like Muir Woods in California sit shuttered behind barriers.
Smithsonian museums have been limping along on reserves until at least October 6, but tours of the Capitol, White House, and FBI headquarters are canceled indefinitely.
Air travel is a mess. The Federal Aviation Administration has logged 196 staffing shortages for air traffic controllers since October 1—over four times last year’s pace—leading to widespread delays.
Multiple airports have even rejected a Homeland Security video blaming Democrats for Transportation Security Administration woes, with Secretary Kristi Noem intoning, “Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted”—despite 95% of her department being required to work through the crisis.
Economists warn the bill is steeper this time around. Weekly losses could hit $7 billion to $15 billion, shaving 0.1% to 0.2% off GDP per week amid lingering inflation from Trump’s trade wars and tariffs.
About one in five Americans report personal financial hits, and two in five know someone scraping by without a check.
At No Limits Outreach Ministries in Hyattsville, Maryland, volunteers handed out food to furloughed workers on October 21, as the shutdown barreled into week three.
SNAP Apocalypse Fears Fuel Anger
Nothing underscores the stakes like the looming SNAP cliff. The program, which props up 22 million households with an average $4,200 yearly in grocery aid, runs dry Saturday unless Congress acts.
The USDA’s website bluntly warns recipients: No benefits on November 1, thanks to the “radical left.”
Influencers online are encouraging one another to storm groceries and commit crime.
Conservative commentator Tim Pool has criticized black media for inciting riot discussions.
Over two dozen states, from Arizona to Massachusetts, sued the Trump administration Tuesday, demanding it tap contingency funds to keep the aid flowing.
Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, didn’t hold back in a CBS News interview: “Nonprofits can’t possibly meet the tremendous new need that’ll be created when 42 million people lose access to basic food security.”
Food banks are already swamped from high grocery prices and unpaid feds, she added.
GOP hardliners aren’t helping their case. Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., sparked outrage with a social media rant questioning SNAP recipients’ thrift: “Any American who has been receiving $4200 dollars [sic] per year of free groceries and does NOT have at least one month of groceries stocked should never again receive SNAP, because wow, stop smoking crack.”
Meanwhile, a federal judge in San Francisco slapped down the administration’s push to lay off thousands of workers, calling it “unlawful and politically motivated” under the Antideficiency Act.
Labor unions hailed the October 15 restraining order as a win, arguing mass firings would grind to a halt without staff to process them.
On the Democratic side, there’s resolve but no gloating. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries used a Capitol presser on day 30 to rally: Each Democrat will weigh their vote individually, but “I intend to make my plans clear to my constituents in Brooklyn on or before Saturday.”
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., framed the fight as bigger than subsidies: “If there’s a rebellion, he can use that to strengthen his authoritarian grip on our nation.”
So, What Happens Now?
Polls back their leverage—72% of Americans, including half of Republicans, favor keeping the ACA credits alive.
Yet 42% remain unsure on the policy itself, a sign Democrats’ messaging hasn’t fully clicked.
As storm clouds gathered over the Capitol on Thursday—mirroring the gloom inside—Vice President JD Vance tried striking an optimistic note after briefing aviation execs on travel snarls.
U.S. troops, he assured, will get paid Friday via a “temporary fix,” though House Speaker Johnson cautioned it’s no long-term salve for the 2 million service members at risk.
NASA’s contingency plan tells a grimmer tale: 15,094 civil servants furloughed, 3,124 exempted but unpaid.
The American Federation of Government Employees, the nation’s largest federal union, issued a blunt plea Monday: “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today,” said president Everett Kelley.
With open enrollment for ACA plans kicking off Saturday—premiums poised to spike without subsidies—the pressure cooker is about to boil over.
Republicans may control the levers of power, but the polls suggest they’re losing the court of public opinion.
How long before the pain forces a deal? For now, families from coast to coast are left wondering if Thanksgiving dinner is even on the table.
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