Almost two-thirds of voters support a Democratic proposal to reopen shuttered parts of the federal government while allowing more time for negotiations on President Trump’s proposed border wall.
A new nonpartisan Quinnipiac national poll released today, found that 63 percent of respondents backed “opening the parts of the government that have nothing to do with border security while continuing to negotiate funding for the wall.” Thirty percent of voters opposed the plan.
House Democrats have passed a series of spending bills to reopen and fund government agencies through Sept. 30, while funding the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8 to allow more time for wall negotiations.
The partial government shutdown, which began Dec. 22, is now the longest in U.S. history.
Trump and congressional Democrats remain at an impasse over funding for a border wall.
Eighty-six percent of Democratic poll respondents supported the shutdown-ending plan in the Quinnipiac poll, compared with 39 percent of Republicans.
The approach garnered backing from 65 percent of independents.
Trump today rejected a similar proposal to temporarily fully reopen the government while wall negotiations continue.
Remarkably, President Trump’s nationally televised address to the nation from the Oval Office had little impact.
Only 2 percent of voters said Trump’s remarks changed their mind.
About nine in 10 said they did not.
Americans also don’t want Trump to use emergency powers to build a border wall.
Nearly six in 10 said the wall is not a good use of taxpayer dollars
The findings are similar to those of recent polls by CNN, CBS and ABC – which also show Americans blame Trump more than congressional Democrats for the longest government shutdown in history.
“‘Mr. President, it’s on you,’ voters say,” said Tim Malloy, the poll’s assistant director.
Voters do believe there’s both a humanitarian and a security crisis along the southern border.
But “they absolutely don’t think a wall will solve the problem,” Malloy said.
Nine federal departments and several smaller agencies – one-fourth of the federal government – closed Dec. 22 over a dispute over whether to give Trump $5.7 million for a border wall.
The Quinnipiac poll found support for that move from every party, gender, education, age and racial group surveyed – except Republicans.
A slight majority of Republicans – 52 percent – were opposed.
Two-thirds of Republicans surveyed support the shutdown, compared with 63 percent of all voters who oppose it.
Majorities of voters also said:
- The wall would not make the U.S. safer (55 percent).
- The wall is not necessary to protect the border (59 percent).
- The wall is against American values ( 52 percent).