How much trust do you have in Congress?

Background

Public trust in Congress is at or near historic lows. According to Gallup's April 2026 poll, Americans' approval of Congress has fallen to just 10 percent, with 86 percent disapproving — tying the record high for disapproval. This marks a dramatic reversal from early 2025, when congressional approval briefly rose to 29 percent after Republicans assumed unified control of government. A Pew Research Center survey from late 2025 found that only 17 percent of Americans trust the federal government to do what is right just about always or most of the time, down from 73 percent when the question was first asked in 1958. Several recent events have contributed to the decline, including a prolonged government shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security, congressional debates over war powers related to the U.S. conflict with Iran, rising energy prices, and ethics scandals that led to the resignations of two members of Congress.

Those who argue Congress still deserves some degree of trust point to the institution's constitutional role as the primary check on executive power and note that lawmakers continue to advance legislation on issues like immigration, the budget, and national security. Supporters of the institution emphasize that democratic governance depends on a functioning legislature and that periods of low approval have historically been followed by voter-driven course corrections, as occurred in the 1994 midterm elections. On the other hand, critics across the political spectrum cite deep polarization, legislative gridlock, and what many perceive as a failure to hold the executive branch accountable. Gallup has documented record partisan gaps in congressional approval, with members of the president's party rating Congress far more favorably than the opposing party — suggesting that trust has become more a function of partisanship than institutional performance. An NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll from November 2025 found that 80 percent of Americans have little or no confidence in Congress.

The question of trust in Congress carries significant consequences for American democracy. When public confidence in the legislature erodes, it can reduce civic participation, fuel support for executive overreach, and make bipartisan compromise even harder to achieve. With the 2026 midterm elections approaching, voters' attitudes toward Congress may reshape the balance of power in Washington. According to Gallup, trust in the federal government has mostly vanished among those who do not support the president's party, a dynamic that deepens the country's political divisions. How much trust Americans place in Congress ultimately affects whether the institution can fulfill its role of representing the public and governing effectively.