Trump deserves most of the blame for US govt shutdown, say 51% Americans

Trump has promised to keep the government partially closed until Congress approves funding for an expanded barrier along the border

A growing proportion of Americans blame President Donald Trump for a partial government shutdown that will cut off paychecks to federal workers this week, though Republicans mostly support his refusal to approve a budget without taxpayer dollars for the US-Mexico border wall, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday.

The national opinion poll, which ran from Jan. 1 to Jan. 7, found that 51 per cent of adults believe Trump deserves most of the blame for the shutdown, which entered its 18th day on Tuesday. That is up 4 percentage points from a similar poll that ran from Dec. 21