WASHINGTON - Americans blame both Republicans and Democrats for the

ongoing government shutdown

The five-day poll, completed on Oct 7, asked Americans nationwide how much blame Democrats, Republicans and President Donald Trump deserve for the shutdown, now in its ninth day.

Some 67 per cent of respondents said Republicans deserved a fair amount or a great deal of blame, while 63 per cent said the same of Democrats. Some 63 per cent also said Mr Trump, a Republican, deserves at least a fair amount of blame.

The survey of 1,154 adults nationwide has a margin of error of 3 percentage points in either direction, meaning the level of blame is broadly similar for the two parties and for Mr Trump.

Republican and Democratic leaders blame the other side for the shutdown, which started Oct 1 after Congress failed to approve new spending legislation.

Both parties are trying to position themselves to benefit politically from the shutdown heading into the November 2026 midterm elections, though some lawmakers have warned about trying to eke out an edge from a situation that involves significant staffing shortages at federal offices and is already leading to

delays in air travel

“At the end of the day, we’re hurting people somewhere. How in the world can we come out ahead?” said Republican Senator Jim Justice of West Virginia.

“This is not a game, really, of the Senate against the House or the Republicans against the Democrats. This is real live...