WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - With lawmakers struggling to reach an agreement to fund the government, the results of a new ABC News/Washington Post poll found that Americans are far more likely to blame President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress if there is a shutdown.
Forty-eight percent of Americans would blame Trump and the GOP for a government shutdown, while 28 percent would blame Democrats in Congress. Another 18 percent would blame both equally.
The poll showed a predictable partisan divide, with 78 percent of Democrats saying they would blame Trump and the Republicans compared to the 66 percent of Republicans that would blame Democrats.
Independents said 46 percent to 25 percent that they would be more likely to blame Trump and the Republicans in Congress.
The survey was conducted before House Republicans voted in favor of a short-term spending bill to fund the government until February 16th.
The spending bill includes a six-year extension of the popular Children's Health Insurance Program and also delays some Obamacare taxes.
However, the issue of protections for illegal immigrants brought to the country as children could doom the short-term spending bill in the Senate.
Democrats have demanded that any spending bill include a deal to provide protections for the illegal immigrants known as Dreamers.
Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney has subsequently argued that Democrats would be to blame if there is a government shutdown.
Mulvaney said in a press briefing on Friday that there is no Dreamer bill to vote on and noted the program that provides them protections does not expire until March.
'There is absolutely no reason to have to insert a DACA discussion, an immigration discussion into the funding bill today,' Mulvaney said, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The ABC News/Washington Post survey of 1,005 adults was conducted January 15th through 18th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
(Photo: Gage Skidmore)
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX