FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL: Most People oppose elevating the federal debt ceiling with out accompanying cuts to federal spending, a brand new RMG Analysis ballot finds.
Sixty-one % of 1,000 registered voters within the survey mentioned Congress ought to both elevate the debt ceiling with spending cuts (45%) or refuse to lift the ceiling in any respect (16%). Solely a few quarter (24%) mentioned Congress ought to elevate the ceiling with out accompanying spending cuts. The remaining 15% mentioned they have been “undecided.”
RMG Analysis requested voters, “The debt ceiling locations a restrict on how a lot cash the federal authorities can borrow to pay its payments. If the debt ceiling is just not raised within the close to future, the federal government shall be unable to pay all of its authorized obligations after the center of this 12 months. How ought to Congress handle this downside?”
The ballot supplied respondents 4 choices: “Increase the debt ceiling, however solely with spending cuts”; “Increase the debt ceiling with no spending cuts”; “Refuse to lift the debt ceiling”; and “Unsure.”
Excessive-propensity voters tended to favor elevating the debt ceiling with spending cuts. Practically half (49%) selected that choice, whereas 16% mentioned Congress ought to refuse to lift the ceiling, and 24% mentioned Congress ought to elevate it with out spending cuts. Solely 10% mentioned they weren’t positive.
RMG Analysis introduced the identical query to voters a second time, with this added background:
Treasury Division officers and different financial consultants say that refusing to lift the debt ceiling would drive the federal government to default on its funds and severely injury the economic system. Understanding this, how ought to Congress handle this downside?
Even with that context, most voters (62%) mentioned Congress ought to both elevate the debt ceiling with spending cuts (48%) or ought to refuse to lift the debt ceiling in any respect (14%). Solely 1 / 4 of voters (26%) mentioned Congress ought to elevate the debt ceiling with no spending cuts. The remainder (13%) mentioned they have been not sure.
RMG Analysis surveyed 1,000 registered voters on-line, weighting the pattern by geography, gender, age, race, schooling, web utilization, and political celebration, on Jan. 17-18, 2023. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 3.1%.
“Each greenback of federal spending and debt is a greenback taken from hardworking American households,” Richard Stern, appearing director of the Grover M. Hermann Heart for the Federal Finances at The Heritage Basis, instructed The Each day Sign in a Friday assertion. “This ballot exhibits that the American folks view the debt restrict as an indispensable software to guard towards reckless expansions of the facility and dimension of the federal government.” (The Each day Sign is the information outlet of The Heritage Basis.)
“Any debt-limit improve should be paired with commensurate cuts and reforms to the federal spending that has pushed inflation, fed the woke left-wing institution, and elevated laws and different burdens which have disadvantaged People of entry to their rights and threatens to derail our economic system,” Stern added.
“The upcoming debt-ceiling negotiations are a chance for conservatives to battle for the much-needed fiscal reforms and spending cuts that can fight the results of the Left’s spending dependancy,” Jessica Anderson, government director of Heritage Motion for America, instructed The Each day Sign in a press release Friday. (Heritage Motion is The Heritage Basis’ grassroots companion group.)
“Struggling with record-high inflation and restricted buying energy, American households are bored with President Biden and Democrats in Congress utilizing their hard-earned taxpayer {dollars} to fund outrageous partisan priorities and ship our economic system additional into chaos,” Anderson added. “Conservatives should place themselves able to battle for the pursuits and priorities of the American folks, and so they should seize on the momentum to proper the fiscal ship.”
The U.S. nationwide debt stood at $31.5 trillion as of Sunday morning.
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