Poll: Support for Obamacare Falls to 39 Percent

Support for Obamacare appears to be waning among Americans as Congress heads into another federal budget showdown with President Barack Obama that could lead to a government shutdown, according to a new poll.

The CNN/ORC International Survey of 1,022 adults conducted Sept. 6-8 found that only 39 percent favored all or most of the provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

That's down from 51 percent in January, CNN reports. Some congressional Republicans, with support from some tea party and other conservative groups, are using upcoming budget battle as leverage. They are vowing to oppose any measure that funds Obamacare.

A shutdown of the government would occur if Congress does not have a new spending plan in place by the beginning of October, which is the start of the new federal budget year.
According to the poll, if a government shutdown lasted just a few days, 11 percent of those surveyed said it would cause a crisis, while 38 percent forecast major problems.

If the government was shut down for a few weeks, however, the number who think the country would face a crisis rose to 31 percent — and those who believe major problems would result increased to 43 percent, according to CNN.

And, "only a third would consider President Barack Obama responsible for a shutdown, with 51 percent pointing a finger at the GOP — up from 40 percent who felt that way earlier this year," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said.