June 11, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Fewer Americans are content with the performance of their federal lawmakers, according to two recent public opinion polls. 39 per cent of respondents to a survey by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News approve of the way Congress is doing its job, down five points since April.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Fewer Americans are content with the performance of their federal lawmakers, according to two recent public opinion polls. 39 per cent of respondents to a survey by TNS released by the Washington Post and ABC News approve of the way Congress is doing its job, down five points since April.

In a study by Opinion Dynamics released by Fox News, 29 per cent of respondents approve of the job Congress is doing, down three points since mid-May.

American voters renewed the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate in November 2006. In January, the Democratic Party took control of the lower house for the first time since 1994, with 233 lawmakers. A victory for the Democratic candidates for the Senate in Montana and Virginia also gave the party a majority in the upper house. Democratic California congresswoman Nancy Pelosi became the first female speaker of the House.

Earlier this month, the House of Representatives voted 247-176 to loosen a ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Pelosi urged U.S. president George W. Bush to support the bill, saying, "With this legislation, we have the opportunity to save lives, find cures, and again, give hope to those suffering."

The White House issued a written statement, which read: "This bill puts scientific research and ethical principle into conflict, rather than supporting a balanced approach that advances scientific and medical frontiers without violating moral principles. (...) I am disappointed the leadership of Congress recycled an old bill that would simply overturn our country's carefully balanced policy on embryonic stem cell research."

In July 2006, Bush vetoed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which had been approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and sought to allow federal funding for embryonic stem cell research on cells "derived from human embryos that have been donated from in-vitro fertilization clinics, were created for the purposes of fertility treatment, and were in excess of the clinical need of the individuals seeking such treatment." In more than five years in office, Bush had not vetoed a single bill.

Polling Data

a) Do you approve or disapprove of the way the U.S. Congress is doing its job?

	Jun. 2007	Apr. 2007	Feb. 2007
Approve	39%	44%	41%
Disapprove	53%	54%	54%

Source: TNS / Washington Post / ABC News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,205 American adults, conducted from May 29 to Jun. 1, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

b) Do you approve or disapprove of the job Congress is doing?

	Jun. 6	May 16	Apr. 18
Approve	29%	32%	35%
Disapprove	55%	53%	49%

Source: Opinion Dynamics / Fox News
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 900 registered American voters, conducted on Jun. 5 and Jun. 6, 2007. Margin of error is 3 per cent.