Americans are divided in their views on government spending, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. While 60 percent said that the government is spending too much overall, a majority of respondents opposed cuts to specific areas like Social Security, Medicare, health care, education and infrastructure. Republicans and Democrats have differing views on this issue with 88 percent of Republicans saying the U.S. 37 percent of Democrats say the government's spending is about right and it is too much spending. The only area where a majority said the government was too much spending was foreign aid.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and President Biden are currently at odds, with McCarthy requesting cuts to spending in exchange for Congress raising the debt ceiling. The poll results suggest that such action is unpopular with the American public, however. While a majority favors reduced spending, they are less willing to accept cuts in areas such as Social Security, Medicare, health care, education and infrastructure. The only area in which a majority said the government was spending too much was foreign aid, which typically is less than 1 percent of budget. Even when it comes to the military defense spending, only 29 percent said that it is too high.
The poll results show that McCarthy and the GOP will have difficulty finding significant cuts in the budget, as the biggest chunks of the budget are Social Security, Medicare, and Defense spending. The American people are sending a clear message that any attempt to reduce spending in these key areas will not be welcomed.