Stay Up-To-Date with Political Events

News & Video

October 24, 2025 | Press Release

Americans Continue to Back Democrats’ Fight for Affordable Healthcare Against Republican Shutdown

Nearly one month into the Republican-driven government shutdown, Americans overwhelmingly support congressional Democrats’ efforts to extend tax credits that ensure families can access affordable health care, even if it means a prolonged shutdown, new polling from Senate Majority PAC and Hart Research found.
The majority of voters are also giving Donald Trump low marks for his handling of the shutdown. Just 36% approve of his performance, while 55% disapprove, including 60% of voters in the center of the electorate. An overwhelming 82% of voters say Trump should be willing to negotiate with Democrats to reach a bipartisan deal — a sentiment that crosses party lines, with two-thirds of rank-and-file Republicans agreeing Trump should come to the table.
Mirroring weeks of both private and independent polling, Americans blame Trump and Republicans for the government shutdown – now in its 24th day. According to the survey, 52% of voters say Trump and Republicans are more to blame for the shutdown, compared to just 41% who blame Democrats. Among voters in the political center—those who are neither strong partisans nor ideological extremes and represent nearly half of the electorate—Trump and Republicans are blamed more by a 17-point margin.
“Americans are breaking decisively against Trump and Republicans on this shutdown,” said Senate Majority PAC Spokesperson Lauren French. “They see Democrats as the only adults in the room trying to protect families from higher health costs while Republicans and Trump are nowhere to be found.”
The poll also found that health care remains a defining issue for voters. A staggering 80% of voters say that preventing big increases in health insurance costs for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act should be an important priority in resolving the shutdown, including 55% who say it’s essential.
The Hart Research poll surveyed 1,221 voters between October 17-19 who say they will or might cast ballots in next year’s midterm elections. Read the full memo.
Americans blame Trump and Republicans for the GOP Shutdown
  • 52% of voters say Trump and Republicans in Congress are more to blame for the federal government shutdown, while 41% say Democrats in Congress are more to blame.
  • Voters in the center of the electorate, who are neither strong partisans nor strong ideologues and represent nearly half of all voters, blame Trump and Republicans more by a 17-point margin—a significant result, as this group voted for Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris by 4 points.
Voters Waiting for Trump to Do His Job
  • Only 36% of voters say they approve of Trump’s handling of the shutdown, while 55% disapprove. Sixty percent of voters in the center of the electorate disapprove.
  • Fully 82% of voters say President Trump should be willing to negotiate with Democrats in Congress to help achieve a bipartisan compromise to end the government shutdown, including 61% who feel strongly that he should be willing to do so.
    • Two-thirds of rank-and-file Republican voters say Trump should be willing to negotiate with Democrats.
  • While the vast majority want Trump to negotiate with Democrats to end the shutdown,
    • Only 28% of voters say he has been willing to negotiate.
  • By 49% to 28%, voters say the things they have seen and heard about Trump during the government shutdown have made them less favorable to Trump.
Ending the GOP Shutdown
  • Eighty percent of voters say that preventing big increases in the cost of health insurance for those who get coverage through the ACA should be an important priority in resolving the shutdown, including 55% who consider it to be essential.
  • Even though the question explicitly describes this as a priority of Democrats, 64% of Republican voters consider it to be an important priority.
  • When asked which is more important to them, 60% of voters say it is more important to prevent huge increases in health insurance premiums for more than 20 million Americans. Just 34% say it is more important to end the federal government shutdown.
Democrats Have the Edge on Issues Voters Care Most About
  • By 46% to 41%, voters say Democrats have better policies than Republicans to deal with the high cost of living and lower costs for average working families.
  • Democrats have an 11-point advantage on this question among voters who say they are following news about the shutdown very or somewhat closely.
  • Democrats have an even larger advantage when voters are specifically asked which party has better policies for holding down healthcare costs and making sure people can afford healthcare, with 52% preferring Democrats and 36% preferring Republicans.
Americans See Democrats as the Party Fighting for Them
  • Fully 72% of voters say it is very important for the President and Congress to take action to lower the cost of healthcare. Nearly all voters on the left say acting on healthcare costs is very important, as do two-thirds of voters in the center and on the right.
  • When voters hear that the two main priorities of Democrats in the shutdown fight are preventing premium increases and rolling back damaging Medicaid cuts, they say by 61% to 39% that it makes them more favorable to Democrats in Congress.
  • And when voters hear that Republicans oppose these two healthcare priorities, they say by 59% to 41% that it makes them less favorable to Republicans in Congress.
###

Get updates