Most Americans blame US President Donald Trump and the Republican Party for the ongoing government shutdown, according to a survey.
The AP-NORC survey has found that 60 per cent of Americans blame Trump and Republican lawmakers for the shutdown.
However, 54 per cent of Americans said they blamed the Democrats, suggesting that the party does not have the kind of edge it might imagine.
Moreover, Democrats do not appear to benefit as much as they would want to as the survey’s findings suggest they have struggled with their messaging.
All types of Americans —Democrats, Republicans, and Independents— agreed that the impasse over the budget in Congress was a problem and that it was worsening by the day, according to the survey.
Democrats struggle with their messaging, survey suggests
The biggest point of contention between the Democrats and Republicans is healthcare. But it does not appear to have gained as much traction with the public as Democrats would have hoped.
Democratic lawmakers have said they will not pass the Trump-endorsed budget bill that would raise health insurance premiums —twice or even four times for many families— for around 24 million Americans by ending subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and remove another 11.8 million Americans from Medicaid coverage over the next decade.
Around 40 per cent of Americans support continuing ACA subsidies, but the problem for Democrats is that 42 per cent of Americans have not heard enough about the healthcare aspect of the budget impasse to form an opinion, according to the survey.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsDemocrats maintain that accepting Trump and the Republicans’ demands would amount to surrender. They argue that the public will understand that the Republicans are to blame as they control both the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
Democrats also insist that healthcare subsidies, Medicaid, and food assistance are red lines they cannot allow the Republicans to cross.
Democrats stick to their guns
At a time when Trump has consolidated power to an unprecedented degree and has even sought to ignore the courts, Democrats believe the budget is their best opportunity to stand up to the president and show the public that they are defending fundamental needs — from healthcare to food assistance.
“Republicans have the most to lose because they hold all the levels of power,” strategist Mike Madrid, co-founder of the Lincoln Project, a group that opposes Trump’s policies, told Newsweek.
“With the stand on the shutdown, people are finally seeing some fight from party [Democratic Party] leadership,” said Madrid.
“People are literally going to be going hungry. Eventually, they [Republicans] will face the wrath of voters,” Madrid added.
Another Democratic strategist, Doug Gordon, told Newsweek that while no one could ‘win’ in a shutdown, the Republicans are expected to come off worse.
“No one ever ‘wins’ a shutdown, but it is certainly a bad look for Republicans that Speaker Johnson has the House of Representatives on a taxpayer-funded month-long vacation while Americans are about to get hit with the largest healthcare cost increase in more than a decade. With Republicans controlling every lever of the government, they will get the blame for that,” said Gordon.