Thirty-five percent of Americans currently approve of the way Congress is handling its job, a 10-percentage-point increase since January and the highest Gallup has measured in nearly 12 years.
The current results are from a Feb. 3-18 Gallup poll. Americans have generally given Congress relatively low ratings historically, with an average 30% job approval rating since Gallup first measured it in 1974. Since 2005, Congress’ ratings have rarely met the historical norm, averaging 21%.
Congress did register ratings of 30% or higher twice last spring, after passage of the $2 trillion CARES Act addressed the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Congress’ approval rating also rose significantly after lawmakers passed a second major COVID-19 relief bill in late December, improving from 15% approval earlier that month to 25% in January. The Biden administration and Congress have made additional COVID relief a top priority.