Poll: Congress' job approval at 31%

— -- Despite a partisan battle over the $787 billion economic stimulus bill passed last week, Congress scored its highest approval rating from the public in nearly two years, according to a Gallup Poll released Tuesday.

About 31% of Americans approve of what Congress is doing — a jump of 12 percentage points from January.

Jeffrey Jones of the Gallup Poll said the boost in support may indicate that the public likes Congress' work on the stimulus plan, which no Republicans voted for in the House and only three voted for in the Senate.

President Obama signed the bill Tuesday in Denver.

"This growing support shows that the American people want us to work together to solve problems instead of picking fights, and want us to roll up our sleeves rather than just pointing fingers," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada said in a statement.

Approval of Congress more than doubled among Democrats since January, up to 43%. Among independents, Congress won the approval of 29%. Just 19% of Republicans approved of Congress.

"Given that the Democratic congressional leadership just passed a trillion-dollar spending bill with no Republican input, it's not surprising that liberal folks would tell pollsters they are happier with Congress," said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio.

The poll of 1,022 respondents was conducted Feb. 9-12. Its margin of error was +/—3 percentage points.

This is the highest approval rating for Congress since April 2007, when it reached 33% in the Gallup Poll not long after the Democrats took control.

But the public's approval didn't last long: The all-time low point came in July 2008, when 14% of Americans said they approved of Congress' job performance, according to the Gallup Poll.