What is the current state of US politics?
Britannica's April 2026 House margin (217–212) and the answer's 218–214 figure from Ballotpedia differ, and the answer's 'split Congress' framing conflicts with Republicans controlling both chambers.
Here's a snapshot of the U.S. political landscape as of late September 2026:
Trump Administration & Approval Ratings
President Trump is now well into his second, non-consecutive term, and his approval numbers have been sliding significantly. Throughout 2025 to 2026, Trump's approval rating has steadily declined to an average of 37 to 39%. As of mid-September, Ballotpedia had him at 40.0% approve/58.0% disapprove, CNN at 36.0%/63.0%, and the polling average landed around 38.0% approve/59.6% disapprove. Nate Silver's tracker noted that Trump's net approval rating is up slightly from its all-time low of -20.6, though still far from popular at -19.5, and notably this far into his first term, Trump was all the way up at -13.0, while Biden was at net -11.3 at the same point in his presidency — meaning Trump is historically unpopular for this stage of a presidency.
Cost of living remains the dominant issue dragging on his numbers: one poll reaffirmed the cost of living as the most important issue in the upcoming midterms, with a plurality (47%) saying it's their top concern, while Trump continues to log poor ratings on his handling of the economy—71% disapproval/22% approval. Even his base is souring somewhat — Trump's approval rating among Republicans has declined from 89% to 75% since April 2025, and his approval rating among 2024 Trump voters is down 10 points.
Congress & Government Funding
Control of Congress remains split, with Republicans holding narrow majorities: heading into the 2026 general elections, Republicans control both chambers of Congress, holding a 53–45 majority in the Senate (with two independents caucusing with Democrats), and a 218-214 majority in the House, with three vacancies.
Government funding has been a recurring flashpoint. After a record-length shutdown last fall, Congress avoided another one right before the midterms: the House approved a stopgap spending bill that keeps the federal government funded through Dec. 11, taking a shutdown off the table until after the midterm elections, passing 370-48. That bill papered over deeper disputes — Republicans are seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending for the military while cutting most non-defense programs, while Democrats insist on a bipartisan approach that treats domestic programs with parity. Underlying fiscal problems remain unaddressed: the stopgap bill fails to address any of the country's major fiscal problems as national debt crossed the $40 trillion threshold last month.
2026 Midterms Loom Large
The 2026 U.S. midterm elections will be held on November 3, 2026, with control of the House and Senate, plus more than 30 governorships, at stake. Given Trump's unpopularity, Republicans face real risk: as of April 2026 Republicans held a 217–212 House margin, and history suggests Republicans could lose 28 seats and thus lose control of the House. A recent nonpartisan analysis found the House race extremely close: a September 2026 Cook Political Report analysis showed Democrats leading in 206 races and Republicans in 208, with 21 toss-ups — 16 of them in Republican-held seats — indicating that level of GOP vulnerability may follow historic midterm trends against the president's party.
Redistricting has also become a major mid-decade battleground, with several states redrawing maps ahead of the election: California, Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas will use different congressional maps for 2026 than in 2024 due to voluntary mid-decade redistricting, while Ohio and Utah will use different maps due to state law and litigation, respectively.
Key Senate races include Ohio, where Republican incumbent Jon Husted, appointed to fill JD Vance's Senate seat after Vance became vice president, faces a challenge from former senator Sherrod Brown, who is attempting a comeback after losing his 2024 reelection.
Key Political Themes
Overall, the picture is one of a deeply unpopular president heading into a high-stakes midterm election, a Congress that has kept the lights on through short-term patches rather than resolving deeper fiscal fights, and both parties gearing up for a contentious battle over the House, Senate, and dozens of governorships this November.
Citations (18)
- Opinion polling on the second Trump presidency
Source excerpt: “Throughout 2025 to 2026, Trump's approval rating has steadily declined to an average of 37 to 39%. ”
statistic, reference entry. Claim: Trump's approval rating declined steadily through 2025-2026 to an average of 37 to 39%.
- Opinion polling on the second Trump presidency
Source excerpt: “| Aggregator | Updated | Approve | Disapprove | Unsure/Other | Lead | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Ballotpedia | September 18, 2026 | 40.0% | 58.0% | 2...”
statistic, reference entry. Claim: Ballotpedia had Trump at 40.0% approve and 58.0% disapprove in mid-September.
- Trump Approval Rating: Latest Polls | Silver Bulletin
Source excerpt: “Sep 21, 2026 · ∙ Paid · 2,328 · 343 · 621 · Share · Donald Trump’s net approval rating is up slightly from its all time low of -20.6. Still, a net app...”
statistic, article. Claim: Trump's net approval is up slightly from its all-time low of -20.6, at -19.5.
- Trump Approval Rating: Latest Polls | Silver Bulletin
Source excerpt: “This far into his first term, Trump was all the way up at -13.0, while Joe Biden was at net -11.3 at the same point in his presidency. ”
statistic, article. Claim: At this point in his first term Trump was at -13.0 and Biden at -11.3.
- Trump Approval Rating: Sinks To Low Points In 2 Latest Polls
Source excerpt: “The poll reaffirmed the cost of living as the most important issue in the upcoming midterms, with a plurality (47%) saying it’s their top concern, whi...”
statistic, article. Claim: A poll found cost of living the top midterm issue, with 47% naming it their top concern.
- Trump Approval Rating: Sinks To Low Points In 2 Latest Polls
Source excerpt: “Trump’s approval rating among Republicans has declined from 89% to 75% since April 2025, and his approval rating among 2024 Trump voters is down 10 po...”
statistic, article. Claim: Trump's approval among Republicans fell from 89% to 75% since April 2025; down 10 points among 2024 Trump voters.
- United States Congress elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia
Source excerpt: “Heading into the 2026 general elections, Republicans control both chambers of Congress. They hold a 53–45 majority in the Senate, while two independen...”
statistic, reference entry. Claim: Republicans control both chambers, holding 53–45 in the Senate with two independents caucusing with Democrats.
- House defers potential shutdown with a stopgap spending bill - Defense One
Source excerpt: “September 1, 2026 03:00 PM ET · Congress · Shutdown · Defense Budget · The House approved a stopgap spending bill on Tuesday that will keep the federa...”
evidence, article. Claim: House approved a stopgap bill funding the government through Dec. 11, avoiding a shutdown before the midterms.
- US government shutdown update 2026: House passes short-term funding bill to avoid shutdown before election - ABC13 Houston
Source excerpt: “Republicans are seeking hundreds of billions of dollars in additional spending for the military while cutting most non-defense programs. Democrats say...”
evidence, article. Claim: Republicans seek more military spending while cutting non-defense programs; Democrats insist on parity.
- House passes funding bill to avert government shutdown
Source excerpt: “However, this stopgap bill fails to address any of the country’s major fiscal problems as its national debt crossed the $40 trillion threshold last mo...”
statistic, article. Claim: The stopgap fails to address major fiscal problems as national debt crossed $40 trillion.
- 2026 U.S. midterm elections | Key Races, Historic Precedents, States to Watch, Gerrymandering, & Integrity | Britannica
Source excerpt: “The 2026 U.S. midterm elections will be held on November 3, 2026. At stake is control of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as ...”
background, reference entry. Claim: Midterms are on November 3, 2026, with House, Senate and governorships at stake.
- 2026 U.S. midterm elections | Key Races, Historic Precedents, States to Watch, Gerrymandering, & Integrity | Britannica
Source excerpt: “• And even more math: As of April 2026 Republicans held a 217–212 margin in the House of Representatives, with one independent and five seats vacant. ...”
statistic, reference entry. Claim: As of April 2026 Republicans held a 217–212 House margin.
- 2026 U.S. midterm elections | Key Races, Historic Precedents, States to Watch, Gerrymandering, & Integrity | Britannica
Source excerpt: “A September 2026 analysis of the actual races by the respected Cook Political Report (CPR) shows Democrats leading in 206 races and Republicans leadin...”
statistic, reference entry. Claim: Cook Political Report in September 2026 showed Democrats leading 206 races, Republicans 208, with 21 toss-ups.
- United States Congress elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia
Source excerpt: “Vance (R-Ohio) was elected ... As of January 31, 2026, four states — California, Missouri, North Carolina, and Texas — will use different congression...”
evidence, reference entry. Claim: California, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas will use new congressional maps due to mid-decade redistricting.
- 2026 U.S. midterm elections | Key Races, Historic Precedents, States to Watch, Gerrymandering, & Integrity | Britannica
Source excerpt: “• Ohio: The Republican incumbent Jon Husted was appointed to the Senate seat vacated by JD Vance when he became vice president. The former lieutenant ...”
evidence, reference entry. Claim: In Ohio, appointed Republican Jon Husted faces Sherrod Brown in the Senate race.
- Congress News: U.S. House, Senate Breaking Headlines and Video | NBC News
Source excerpt: “Unpopular AI data centers proliferating across America have emerged as a major campaign issue in the midterm elections. ... As Congress faces calls to...”
evidence, home page. Claim: AI data centers have become a major midterm campaign issue.
- Congress News: U.S. House, Senate Breaking Headlines and Video | NBC News
Source excerpt: “There appeared to be a lot of talk about artificial intelligence and little progress on Capitol Hill this week. ”
evidence, home page. Claim: Lots of talk about AI but little progress on Capitol Hill.
- GovTrack.us: Tracking the U.S. Congress and the White House
Source excerpt: “Sept. 21, 2026 · Analysis and Commentary · by Joshua Tauberer · Early last year President Trump fired the Librarian of Congress allegedly for her prom...”
evidence, home page. Claim: Trump fired the Librarian of Congress last year amid firings of officials appointed by prior presidents.