WASHINGTON

Americans’ approval of Congress: Can it go lower?

WASHINGTON — Just when it seemed Americans’ approval of Congress could not drop any lower, it did – to 9 percent, the lowest in Gallup’s history of posing the question, the organization said Tuesday.

Positive attitudes about Congress have been hovering in the low double digits for weeks — and, according to one survey, the body now ranks below root canals, cockroaches and traffic jams.

But last month’s government shutdown appeared to show there is no bottom to Americans’ displeasure with the way Congress is doing its job.

AUSTIN, Texas

Senator calls for health care ‘navigator’ program to end

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn on Tuesday called for axing the Affordable Care Act’s “navigator” program that uses federal dollars to pay for workers to sign people up for health insurance. Cornyn, a vocal opponent of the health insurance law, cited a video by a conservative activist attempting to show fraud by federally funded workers in North Texas.

James O’Keefe, founder of the nonprofit Project Veritas, had investigators use hidden cameras to visit offices of the National Urban League in Dallas and Irving, where federally funded “navigators” worked to sign people up for health insurance under the law known as “Obamacare.” The navigators, who were funded by a $376,000 federal grant, appeared to tell an investigator to lie about his income in order to maximize the amount of federal subsidies he could get.

“Don’t get yourself in trouble by declaring it now,” one worker appeared to tell the investigator about off-the-books income. The video, which some liberal blogs have said was heavily edited, also showed another person telling the investigator to lie about his smoking to keep his premium lower.

The National Urban League in Dallas responded by firing or suspending some of the workers.