GOP, Trump get more blame for shutdown than Democrats, poll shows

Kathryn Palmer, USA TODAY

Updated Thu, October 2, 2025 at 3:09 PM UTC

2 min read

Close to half of Americans blame President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for the government partially shutting down , according to a new poll.

In a survey conducted by the Washington Post on Oct. 1 – the first day of the shutdown – 47% said they blamed Trump and Republicans in Congress for the ongoing impasse that has left thousands of federal workers without pay and halted various government activities.

Another 30% blame the crisis on congressional Democrats, and 23% said they were "not sure" when asked who they think is "mainly responsible" for the shutdown.

Live updates: Government shutdown enters Day 2 as Trump and Democrats refuse to budge

Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

A traveler sits in front of departure display screens showing a small number of cancellations of flights at Denver International Airport on Nov. 9. 2025.

People enjoy the weather at the closed National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, on Oct. 20, 2025. The US government shutdown dragged into a third week, with Congress gridlocked in a clash over spending and no resolution in sight to a crisis that has already cost thousands of jobs.

A child peers into the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, which closed after the prior year’s funding it was using to remain open temporarily, ran out during the continuing U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., Oct. 12, 2025.

The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, DC is closed to visitors temporarily as the U.S. federal government shutdown drags on, along with other Smithsonian Museums on Oct. 13, 2025. The Smithsonian Institution drew on funds from the prior year to stay open for 11 days after the shutdown began on Oct. 1.

Visitors to the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum find its doors are closed due to the continuing U.S. government shutdown in Washington, D.C., Oct. 13, 2025.

The U.S. Capitol behind construction sandbags in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 8, 2025, the eighth day of the federal government shutdown.

A woman walks past a sign indicating the Smithsonian's National Gallery of Art is closed as the federal government continues its shutdown Oct. 6, 2025, in Washington, DC.

A view of North Capitol Street and the U.S. Capitol's rotunda as the federal government continues its shutdown on Oct. 6, 2025, in Washington, DC.

The Cades Cove Visitor Center,Cades Cove and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Blount County, Tenn., reopened during the government shutdown thanks to a group of local and state leaders. Oct. 4, 2025.

A man is reflected on the window door to the entrance of the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park Visitor Center in New Bedford, Mass., as he crosses William Street. The tape hides hours of operation due to the center being closed due to government shutdown.

(L-R) A group of friends and family traveling on a road trip, Harriett Green of Milford, New Jersey, Eveyn Hauck of Bangor, Pennsylvania, Colleen Abahazy of Easton, Pennsylvania, and Sharon Reuss of Easton, Pennsylvania, look through the locked gate to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine on Oct. 3, 2025 in Baltimore, Md. The fort is closed due to the government shutdown that began early Wednesday after Congress failed to reach a funding deal.

People visit the Smithsonian National Zoo as the US government is shut down for the second day on October 2, 2025 in Washington, DC. Efforts to swiftly end the US government shutdown collapsed October 1, 2025 as Democrats in Congress went home without resolving an acrimonious funding stand-off with President Donald Trump and the White House threatened public sector jobs. Smithsonian institutions receive federal funding and shut down during a federal government. The Smithsonian, a federal government entity, says on its website that it will use money from the last fiscal year’s budget to stay open at least through Monday, Oct. 6.

A would-be visitor looks into the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum which is closed, on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, in Boston, Mass. on Oct.1, 2025.

The United States Capitol seen on the morning of the first day of the federal government shutdown on Oct.1, 2025 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding compromise.

Tinker Air Force Base is pictured in Oklahoma City, Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025. The base employs thousands of civilian employees and is the largest employer in the city's metro area. Many will be impacted by the shutdown.

People wait in line to enter the Federal Building in Los Angeles, California on October 1, 2025, where services are experiencing significant disruptions due to the federal government shutdown, as essential workers continue working without pay and non-essential federal workers are furloughed.

The United States Park Service place a notice on the visitors entry door notifying of the closing of the Washington Monument to visitors on the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025.

Members of the National Guard patrol along the grounds of the US Capitol on the first day of the US government shutdown in Washington, DC, on October 1, 2025. Essential services, like military and law enforcement, remain working.

A man walks past Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site which is closed on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown in New York City, New York, October 1, 2025.

Travelers pass through a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security screening at Hollywood Burbank Airport during the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown in Burbank, California, October 1, 2025.

The United States Courthouse in White Plains, N.Y. remained open Oct. 1, 2025 even with the shutdown of the federal goverment.

The United States Capitol Rotunda and the United States Capitol closed to tours on the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025 after President Donald Trump and congressional leaders failed to reach a funding compromise.

A U.S. Park Service employee cleans up trash on the National Mall on the first day of the government shutdown on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

A child tries to look inside the visitor center of the Washington Monument, which is closed because of a partial government shutdown, in Washington, D.C., October 1, 2025.

Tourists stand outside the entrance to the Capitol Visitors Center, which is closed due to the federal government shut down, on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) sits on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

The Library of Congress is closed to visitors during the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Visitors look through the window of the closed U.S. Botanical Gardens during the federal government shut down on October 1, 2025 in Washington, DC.

A worker locks the gate to the entrance of Everglades National Park Shark Valley due to the government shutdown on October 1, 2025, in Everglades National Park, Florida. The park will remain open to visitors, but with minimal staffing. The U.S. government shut down at midnight, with President Donald Trump and Democrats blaming each other for failing to reach an agreement.

The Internal Revenue Office in White Plains, N.Y. remained open Oct. 1, 2025 even with the shutdown of the federal goverment.

The Social Security office in White Plains, N.Y. remained open Oct. 1, 2025 even with the shutdown of the federal goverment.

A person walks by the African Burial Ground National Monument Visitor Center, which is closed on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, in New York City, October 1, 2025.

People look up at the Washington Monument ticket office window with a notice of closure following the United States Park Service placing a note on the ticket office window notifying of the closing of the Washington Monument to visitors on the first day of the federal government shutdown on October 1, 2025.

A man walks across the otherwise empty U.S. Capitol Visitor Center, closed to the public on the first day of a partial U.S. government shutdown, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., October 1, 2025.

A Park Closed sign in the driveway for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, N.Y. on October 1, 2025. All of the facilities on site are closed, but the grounds are currently open to the public, however there are no rest rooms, nor will trash be collected.

Denise McGregor peers through a window to catch a glimpse inside the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, on Oct. 1, 2025. Due to the shutdown the building was closed.

Stones River National Battlefield, in Murfreesboro, Tenn. is currently closed on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025, due to a partial government shutdown.

A sign referring to the federal government shutdown is hung on the door on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025 at the Natural Resources Conservation Service Office in Oklahoma City.

A sign indicating that the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum is closed due to a lapse in federal appropriations on October 1, 2025.

A Park Closed sign in the driveway for the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum on October 1, 2025. All of the facilities on site are closed, but the grounds are currently open to the public, however there are no rest rooms, nor will trash be collected.

See the impact of the government shutdown as agencies shutter or fight to stay open

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Travelers wait in line at a security checkpoint at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois on November 7 2025. Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. Forty airports were due to slow down, including the giant hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

The poll also found 66% of respondents said they are either "very" or "somewhat" concerned over the shutdown, and another 34% said they are either "not too" or "not at all" concerned. The survey was conducted on Oct. 1, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,010 people via text. It has a margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points.

The Washington Post poll is among the first major national surveys to gage Americans' opinions on the crisis following the midnight shut down in the early morning hours of Oct. 1, after congressional leaders failed to reach a resolution that would keep the lights on. In a series of polls released on the shutdown eve of Sept. 30, respondents offered a more divided picture of where Americans were placing the brunt of the blame.

In a five-day New York Times survey released Sept. 30, most U.S. voters surveyed said both parties would be at fault for a shutdown, at 33%.

What is Trump's approval rating? What polls said ahead of the government shutdown

Yet between the two parties, a little more than a quarter of respondents, 26%, said they would blame congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump , and 19% pointed their fingers at the Democrats.

Another 21% said they had not heard enough about the shutdown to say who was responsible. The survey was conducted Sept. 22 through Sept. 27, surveying 1,313 registered voters, with a ±3.2 % margin of error.

In a NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll released the same day, nearly four in 10 Americans said Republicans would be to blame for the shutdown, at 38%, while another 31% said they blamed both parties.

As in the New York Times survey, Democrats were the third most likely to be blamed, at 27%. Four percent of respondents said they would not blame either political party. The poll was conducted Sept. 22 through 26 , among 1,477 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points.

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at kapalmer@usatoday.com and on X @ KathrynPlmr .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Americans blame Trump, GOP most for government shutdown: Poll

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