Is Congress Too Polarized?

April 13, 2026

Americans don’t seem to have much faith in their elected leaders these days, particularly those in Congress. Seven in 10 people view Congress unfavorably, according to a recent Pew Research poll.

Critics say Congress is too polarized to get things done, leading to stalemates on many issues, from immigration to health care. Even agreeing to fund the federal government has proved difficult, as the recent government shutdowns showed.

Others say that, in spite of partisanship, Congress still manages to do important work, including passing major laws in recent years, such as legislation to boost semiconductor research, address inflation, and repair the nation’s roadways and bridges.

So is Congress too polarized to be effective? A former member of the House of Representatives and a political scientist square off on the question.

In today’s tense political environment, debates in Congress are rarely grounded in sincere differences of opinion but rather in deep mistrust of the opposing side. A failure to work together has prevented Congress from fulfilling some of its most basic duties.

In a healthy democracy, partisanship based in ideological differences can play a constructive role as Congress and the president debate pressing issues such as national security, the economy, trade, health care, energy, and immigration. In fact, throughout our nation’s history, partisan divisions have framed many of the great policy debates.

But healthy debate has become rare. Today it’s not unusual for members of Congress to change their views based on what party is putting forth an idea. If one team makes a proposal, it’s virtuous and worthy of support. But if the other team offers the same proposal, it’s dishonorable and wrongheaded. Each side automatically views the other as illegitimate.

Partisanship has prevented Congress from fulfilling basic duties.

This makes finding common ground nearly impossible. For example, one party or the other periodically threatens to vote against keeping the government in operation. A once routine matter is now an all-consuming effort that regularly takes the government to the brink of shutdown and default, as happened with the recent shutdowns.

Partisan news outlets and social media make things worse by stoking anger. And the way voting districts are redrawn creates overwhelmingly safe Republican and Democratic seats held by representatives who have little incentive to appeal to a broad electorate.

Lost in the shuffle is the reason that voters elect their representatives: to enact policies that benefit Americans. Until the system changes to reward, not punish, members who seek consensus and compromise, expect more of the dysfunction that brought us to this point.

—CHARLIE DENT
Former Republican Representative of Pennsylvania

Congress can—and does—govern. But much of its work happens out of the public eye, while the big, contentious issues and partisan bickering usually make most of the headlines.

Congress today has greater gender, racial, and ideological diversity than ever before. And yes, these differences can lead to strong disagreement. Yet senators and representatives have come together in recent years to tackle major issues such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and American economic competitiveness.

In fact, Congress quietly passes more than 100 laws a year on matters such as health care costs and technological innovation. Recent examples are the Honoring Our PACT Act, which provides health care and other support for military veterans exposed to toxic substances; and the CHIPS and Science Act, promoting scientific research and semiconductor production in the United States. These policy changes gained strong bipartisan support but received little media coverage.

Policies with bipartisan support receive little media coverage.

Yet Congress often can’t address tough challenges until there’s broad agreement, and that’s by design. The Constitution divides the House and Senate just as it separates the branches of government. When agreement can’t be reached on highly divisive issues such as gun control and climate change, Congress often leaves policymaking to the states, where local leaders can make policies that better match the needs of their communities than a one-size-fits-all national policy.

When the parties in Congress publicly argue about these issues, they’re competing for votes, and the side that convinces more people wins its chance to govern. But it’s often the case that some of the winning party’s ideas are then quietly endorsed by both parties—yielding bipartisan solutions to many of the problems facing our nation.

—CRAIG VOLDEN
Professor of Public Policy and Politics, University of Virginia