Congress has hit its highest job approval rating since former President Barack Obama took office in early 2009, according to a Gallup poll released Tuesday evening.
But lawmakers shouldn’t celebrate too much: only 28 percent approve of the job Congress is doing.
Congressional job approval had been sitting at 19 percent in January before President Trump was sworn into office on Jan. 20. The Feb. 1-5 poll results make it the biggest monthly increase since Obama’s 12-point spike to 31 percent the month after his 2009 inauguration.
Similar to Democrats in 2009, Republican respondents in this month’s survey increasingly approved of Congress’ job in office after a president from their party was sworn in. Meanwhile, favor among Democrats dropped in February.
Since taking office, Trump has announced more than 20 executive orders and followed through on his promise to put Republican lawmakers to work rolling out legislation that supports his agenda.
Congress’ approval spike did not occur following the start of the 115th Congress on Jan. 3 or as the result of any major legislation that was passed last month. Lawmakers are currently unsure how they will replace Obamacare once it is repealed and focused on reintroducing bills and the confirmation processes surrounding Trump’s Cabinet nominees, indicating the growth in favor is connected to the GOP-led Congress and Republican president both taking office.
The poll was conducted by telephone with 1,035 adults in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey had a 4-point margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.
As of early February, Trump has an approval rating of 42 percent.
