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Poll says only 10% of Americans approve of Congress. Are we surprised?

Congress has outdone itself.
File Photo: The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen on Capitol Hill August 28, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images/File)
File Photo: The dome of the U.S. Capitol is seen on Capitol Hill August 28, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Congress has outdone itself. Further cementing its reputation as the most hated Congress ever, lawmakers allowed student loan rates to double on Monday because they could not reach an agreement.

The July 1 deadline came and went, and with it, the borrowing costs for students jumped from 3.4% to 6.8% on subsidized Stafford loans from the government.

Just when you thought Congress’ approval ratings couldn’t get any lower, the lawmakers have surpassed expectations.

A recent Gallup poll shows Americans’ collective confidence in its legislative body continuing to dwindle. Out of a group of 16 institutions, the poll found Americans have faith in Congress the least--for the fourth year in a row. And there's more bad news: Congress got a 10% vote of confidence, down three points from 2012.

Americans seem to be united in their feelings towards lawmakers. The study showed Dems, Republicans and Independents are equally annoyed with Washington’s performance these days.

The military got the biggest vote of confidence from the public with 76%, followed by small businesses with 65% and the police with 57%, rounding out the top three. Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs) and organized labor joined Congress near the bottom of the list., with HMOS getting 19% and labor groups getting 20%.