Updated at 1:07 p.m. ET

Americans don't like the way President Obama or the top leaders in Congress are handling the negotiations to raise the debt ceiling, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows.

But they're more likely to give positive marks to Obama than to House Speaker John Boehner or Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Four in 10 Americans approve of the way Obama is dealing with Congress in the high-stakes battle to raise the nation's $14.3 trillion in borrowing authority, the poll shows.

That compares with 31% who approve of the way Boehner, R-Ohio, is handling the debt-ceiling negotations and 23% for Reid, D-Nev.

The House is headed for a showdown today on Boehner's two-part plan to raise the debt ceiling and cut even more in federal spending. This morning, he indicated the GOP leadership was working to get the final votes on his plan, which has been met with resistance from lawmakers who want deeper spending cuts.

Congress is racing to meet an Aug. 2 deadline to raise the debt limit -- an action that has serious repercussions for U.S. and global financial markets. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has said the federal government will default on its obligations if Congress doesn't act by the deadline.

The survey of 1,007 adults shows a majority -- 52% -- disapprove of the job Obama and Reid are doing on the debt-limit negotiations. Boehner's disapproval rating is 48%. More than 20% of Americans don't have an opinion on the way Boehner and Reid are dealing with the debt issue.

The USA TODAY/Gallup Poll, based on interviews done during Gallup's tracking survey Wednesday, has a margin of error of +/- 4 percentage points.