House impasse fuels public distrust among US people

WASHINGTON — For many people in the United States, the Republican Party dysfunction that has ground business in the US House of Representatives to a halt as two conflicts rage abroad and a budget crisis looms at home is feeding into a longer-term pessimism about the country's core institutions.

The lack of faith extends beyond Congress, with recent polling conducted both before and after the leadership imbroglio finding mistrust in everything from the courts to organized religion. The Republican internal bickering that for nearly three weeks has left open the speaker's position, second in line to the presidency, is widely seen as the latest indication of deep problems with the country's bedrock institutions.

"They're holding up the people's business because they're so dysfunctional," said Christopher Lauff, 57, of Fargo, North Dakota.

Part of that business, he said, is approving money for Ukraine to continue its fight against Russia, something he says ultimately helps the US — a point US President Joe Biden stressed during an address from the Oval Office on Thursday.

"We're usually the knight in shining armor, but we can't be that now," said Lauff, a Democrat.

The disdain for Congress is just one area where people say they are losing faith. Various polls have found that negative feelings include a loss of confidence or interest in institutions such as organized religion, policing, the Supreme Court and even banking.

"Trust in institutions has deteriorated substantially," said Kay Schlozman, professor of political science at Boston College. Schlozman said she believes in government and the things it provides, such as national defense and access to healthcare, but "I also can very much understand why the American people can be cynical about government".

The turmoil in the House and the federal case against Democratic Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey, who is facing charges of bribery, show the two main parties are contributing to the dour outlook.

The House has been without a permanent leader since early this month after a small cadre of rightwing Republicans pushed out Kevin McCarthy, a member of their own party, as Speaker. Subsequent attempts to replace him have failed.

"That is an example of exactly the kind of thing that I would say can't foster trust of government among the American people — the multiple votes, the fractiousness within parties, of people being personally ambitious and not being willing to compromise," Schlozman said.

In a poll conducted by The Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research this month 53 percent of respondents said they had "hardly any confidence at all" in those running Congress. That is in line with 49 percent who said that in March. Just 3 percent said they have a great deal of confidence in Congress.

Thirty-nine percent said they had hardly any confidence in the executive branch of the federal government, compared with 44 percent in March. Fifty-six percent of Republicans said they have low levels of confidence in the executive branch, overseen by a Democrat, Biden, compared with just 20 percent of Democrats.

Agencies Via Xinhua