Are partisan positions worth a government shutdown? What Americans say in a poll

Few Americans believe that the current political debate on Capitol Hill justifies a government shutdown, and many disapprove of how officials have handled the situation, according to a new CBS News poll.

At the same time, most Americans express concern about the knock-on effects of the shutdown, including on the economy, the military and federal employees.

The survey comes after the government officially ran out of funding on October 1, following Congress’s failure to pass a spending bill by the end of the fiscal year.

As a result, thousands of federal employees have been furloughed and numerous public services have been suspended.

Both parties have exchanged blame: Republicans fault Democrats for not supporting a clean funding bill, while Democrats criticize the GOP for rejecting their proposal that included health care reform measures.

Cause of the shutdown

In the poll — which sampled 2,441 U.S. adults and has a margin of error of 2.3 percentage points — respondents were asked what issues caused the shutdown.

A plurality, 36%, said they believe the congressional debate leading to the funding lapse centered on health care. Meanwhile much smaller shares pointed to the federal deficit (6%), immigration (5%) and taxes (2%). An additional 29% said “all of these.”

Much of the debate has indeed focused on health care measures included in a Democratic-backed funding bill, which was voted down by Senate Republicans.

In their funding bill, Democrats included a provision to extend Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire this year, warning that failure to act could lead to higher insurance premiums. The bill also aims to restore nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts made by Republicans this summer.

Republicans, in turn, have argued that this legislation would give free health care to illegal immigrants.

“Democrats picked the wrong fight at the wrong time for the wrong reasons,” House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X. “Demanding $1.5 Trillion and free healthcare for illegal aliens—just to keep the government open—is absurd.”

Democrats, though, have disputed this claim.

“Speaker Johnson doesn’t want to address the real issue: The healthcare crisis facing the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote on X. “So instead he lies and lies and lies. Undocumented immigrants cannot and will not receive ACA premium tax credits by law.”

But, small shares of Americans see either these positions as hills to die on.

A plurality of respondents, 45%, said that congressional Republicans’ stance is not worth a government shutdown, while 23% said it does merit a shutdown.

A slightly smaller share, 40%, said the Democratic position is not worth a federal funding lapse, while 28% said it is worth this.

Disapproval and blame

Respondents also telegraphed displeasure with both Republicans and Democrats regarding their handling of the shutdown.

A majority, 52%, said they disapprove of how President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have handled the funding lapse, while a slightly smaller share, 49%, said the same of congressional Democrats.

More respondents also said they blamed Republicans than Democrats for causing the shutdown.

A plurality, 39%, said they faulted Trump and Republican lawmakers for the funding lapse, while 30% said they blamed Democrats in Congress.

An additional 31% said they held both parties equally responsible.

Concerns about shutdown effects

Large shares of Americans also expressed concern about the effects the shutdown will have on various areas.

A sizable majority, 80%, said they are very or somewhat concerned about the impact of the shutdown on the U.S. economy.

So far, financial markets have largely remained unfazed, as shutdowns historically last for short periods and cause minimal economic disruption, economists told the Associated Press. However, this shutdown could be different, given the precarious state of the economy and the mass firings Trump is considering.

Seventy percent of respondents also said they are worried about the shutdown’s effect on federal employees — 750,000 of whom could be furloughed each day the impasse continues, the Congressional Budget Office estimated.

A smaller share, 62%, said they are very or somewhat worried about the shutdown’s effect on the military. Most military operations and veteran benefits remain funded during shutdowns, but servicemembers’ pay will be paused until a spending bill is passed, according to NBC News.

Further, majorities of respondents expressed concern about the shutdown’s effects on Social Security and Medicare (74%) and transportation and air travel (61%) — both of which are expected to face little disruption, according to NPR.

Additionally, 63% of respondents said they are worried about how the shutdown will impact them personally.

This story was originally published October 6, 2025 at 2:17 PM with the headline "Are partisan positions worth a government shutdown? What Americans say in a poll."