President Donald Trump's approval rating hit its low-point for his second term in office during the month of September, according to Ballotpedia.

Trump is currently reported to have a 40% approval rating, which surpassed his previous lowest rating set last month. The president was reported to have a 43% approval rating in early September and ended the month at 44%, while 54% of voters disapproved his job performance.

Trump had previously had a 54% approval rating when he took office in January, which was the highest percentage of his second term. Congressional approval is also reported to have reached a new low-point at 14%, surpassing the previous low of 19% reported on January 29.

Last week, Trump's approval rating was reported to be unfavorable in several national polls amid the U.S. government shutdown. The president had a majority unfavorable rating in polls conducted by Nate Silver for his Silver Bulletin newsletter (53%); the Economist (55%); Rasmussen (50%); the New York Times (54%); Real Clear Politics (53%); Morning Consult (52%); Pew Research Center (58%); Quinnipiac University (54%); Quantus Insights (50%); and Gallup (56%) as of Friday (October 3).

Trump called on Republicans to "clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud" from within the federal government amid the first shutdown in nearly seven years.

"Republicans must use this opportunity of Democrat forced closure to clear out dead wood, waste, and fraud. Billions of Dollars can be saved. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account Wednesday (October 1) night.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt had confirmed that layoffs to some federal employees were "imminent" while addressing reporters earlier in the day on Wednesday.

"These are unfortunate consequences to a government shutdown," she said.

Top Republican and Democrat officials traded blame over who should "own" the government shutdown.

The Republican Party, which controls both chambers of Congress, needed Democratic support in order to get the 60 votes needed to pass a Senate bill to extend federal funding, however, the two sides failed to reach an agreement on a bipartisan bill, with the Senate rejecting each parties' proposal in the final hours prior to the shutdown deadline. The Senate rejected a 55-45 vote on a seven-week stopgap funding measure supported by Republicans late Tuesday (September 30) night, having previously rejected a bill supported by the Democrats earlier in the evening.

"Democrats have officially voted to CLOSE the government. Results: Moms and kids now lose WIC nutrition," House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on his X account. "Veterans lose health care and suicide prevention programs. FEMA has shortfalls during hurricane season. Soldiers and TSA agents go UNPAID. The only question now: How long will Chuck Schumer let this pain go on — for his own selfish reasons?"

Republican National Committee Chair Joe Gruters claimed that the Democrats were "solely responsible" for the shutdown in a statement obtained by ABC News, while a spokesperson for the committee, Sonali Patel, accused the Democrats of having "caved to the far-left, played partisan politics, and forced this shutdown" and added that "they own it."

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin claimed that the shutdown was the clearest sign yet that Republicans are inept, incompetent, and lack any respect for the American people," while Sen. Chuck Schumer said his party aimed to sit down and negotiate, but the Republicans can't do it in their partisan way, where they just say it's our way or the highway."

"It's the Republicans who will be driving us straight towards a shutdown tonight, and at midnight, the American people will blame them for bringing the Federal Government to a halt," Schumer added via ABC News.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris, the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee, also blamed the Republicans for the shutdown in a post shared on her X account.

"Let me be clear: Republicans are in charge of the White House, House, and Senate. This is their shutdown," she wrote.

The last U.S. government shutdown took place during Trump's first term in 2018 and lasted 34 days, extending into early 2019, as the longest in American history. The current shutdown is reported to have no clear path to a resolution as both parties are in a deadlock.

Federal employees will go without pay for the entirety of the shutdown, with an estimated 750,000 furloughed each day, the Congressional Budget Office said via NBC News. Trump and members of Congress will continue to receive their salaries, while essential workers, such as Transportation Security Administration agents, air traffic controllers, federal law enforcement officers and military members will also continue to receive compensation during the shutdown.

The furloughed payments will be paid once the government reopens, however, compensation will reportedly cost taxpayers an estimated $400 million, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Sunday Nights with Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham