Most People Oppose Elevating Debt Ceiling With out Spending Cuts, Ballot Finds

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 p.c of 1,000 registered voters within the survey stated Congress ought to both increase the debt ceiling with spending cuts (45%) or refuse to lift the ceiling in any respect (16%). Solely a few quarter (24%) stated Congress ought to increase the ceiling with out accompanying spending cuts. The remaining 15% stated they had 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 shouldn’t be raised within the close to future, the federal government might be unable to pay all of its authorized obligations after the center of this yr. How ought to Congress deal with this drawback?”

The ballot provided respondents 4 choices: “Elevate the debt ceiling, however solely with spending cuts”; “Elevate 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. Almost half (49%) selected that possibility, whereas 16% stated Congress ought to refuse to lift the ceiling, and 24% stated Congress ought to increase it with out spending cuts. Solely 10% stated 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 specialists 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 deal with this drawback?

Even with that context, most voters (62%) stated Congress ought to both increase 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%) stated Congress ought to increase the debt ceiling with no spending cuts. The remaining (13%) stated they had been uncertain.

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 Middle for the Federal Price range at The Heritage Basis, informed The Every day Sign in a Friday assertion. “This ballot exhibits that the American folks view the debt restrict as an indispensable instrument to guard in opposition to reckless expansions of the ability and measurement of the federal government.” (The Every day Sign is the information outlet of The Heritage Basis.)

“Any debt-limit enhance have to be paired with commensurate cuts and reforms to the federal spending that has pushed inflation, fed the woke left-wing institution, and elevated rules 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 struggle for the much-needed fiscal reforms and spending cuts that can fight the implications of the Left’s spending dependancy,” Jessica Anderson, government director of Heritage Motion for America, informed The Every day Sign in a press release Friday. (Heritage Motion is The Heritage Basis’ grassroots accomplice group.)

“Struggling with record-high inflation and restricted buying energy, American households are uninterested in 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 struggle for the pursuits and priorities of the American folks, they usually 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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