The last time Americans overwhelmingly approved of Congress, the U.S. had recently gone to war and was still reeling from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Gas prices were $1.31 a gallon and “Fallin’” by Alicia Keys was the top song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The year was 2001, and 84 percent of the public approved of the way Congress was handling its job, the most since Gallup began tracking that metric in 1974. But the glow didn’t last for long.
Approval never reached those heights again, and now the numbers have basically flipped; 86 percent disapprove as of this April, tying the all-time high. Just 10 percent are satisfied.
