Hours before the government is scheduled to run out of money and shut down, a poll released Monday morning found that more Americans will blame congressional Republicans than President Barack Obama for such a scenario.
According to the latest CNN/ORC International poll, a plurality of 46 percent said they would blame Republicans on Capitol Hill for a government shutdown while 36 percent said they would hold Obama responsible. Thirteen percent said they would blame both sides.
As some Republicans in Congress have pushed hard to defund the Affordable Care Act, the risk of a government shutdown has risen sharply. House Republicans passed a spending measure on Sunday that delays the health care law for one year.
Monday’s survey wasn’t the first indication that Republicans will absorb the lion’s share of the public backlash if the government shuts down. A CNN/ORC poll released earlier this month also found that congressional Republicans would bear more of the fallout from a government shutdown than Obama.
Lawmakers are facing a midnight deadline on Monday to avert a government shutdown.
