In past years, the president has argued that the responsibility to keep the government running lies with the White House

By Julia Conley, staff writer for CommonDreams. Published 1-19-2018

Lawmakers were struggling Friday to reach an agreement to keep the government funded ahead of a midnight deadline. (Photo: Mish Sukharev/Flickr/cc)

As President Donald Trump and members of Congress point fingers, blaming opposing political parties for a potential government shutdown, the public has spoken. A Washington Post/ABC poll finds that a most Americans would blame Republicans and the president should Congress fail to reach an agreement to keep the government funded by midnight on Friday.

Forty-eight percent of those polled in the survey of more than 1,000 people said they would hold the GOP responsible, while 28 percent said they would blame Democrats. Eighteen percent said both parties would be equally to blame. Continue reading →