People don't like Congress. More than ever.
Gallup reported Thursday that Congress' approval rating averaged 14 percent this year, the lowest in the poll's 39 year history of asking.
"Americans' low evaluations of Congress appear to be a 'new normal,,''' a Gallup analysis said, noting that in each of the last four years, the average rating has been below 20 percent.
"The Founders set up Congress to be an extension of the American public itself, with elected representatives sent to the nation's capital to do the people's bidding. Americans' approval of the job Congress is doing has never been extremely high on any consistent basis in recent decades, but over the past several years, it has reached new lows," Gallup reported.
The ratings reflect somewhat Congress' split leadership. Republicans control the House, and Democrats run the Senate.
The numbers also "most likely reflects the country's generally negative economic circumstances, and Congress' continuing inability to agree in a timely fashion on fundamental budget and operating legislation," Gallup said.