CNN
—
Sixty percent of Americans say Congress should only Raise the country’s debt ceiling If it cuts spending at the same time, according to a New CNN Poll by SSRSas the government’s June 1″hard deadline‘Avoiding economic catastrophe looms over Washington. Rare president biden Or congressional Republicans acting responsibly in the debt ceiling talks, with majorities on both sides more concerned that their side is giving away too much than the U.S. will default.
Still, an overwhelming majority of Americans (84%) favor raising the debt ceiling, with just 15% saying Congress should not do so under any circumstances. In addition to 60% who support raising the cap while cutting spending, 24% said it should be done anyway.
The findings come amid broader skepticism about the nation’s political leaders. Few Americans think Biden (31%) or the Republican leader in the House of Representatives (29%) have the right priorities. Among independents, 60% say neither Biden nor the Republican leadership is paying enough attention to the country’s most pressing problems.
While 71% of Americans say not raising the debt ceiling would cause a crisis or major problem for the country—many expecting negative impacts on the stock market (60%), the country’s credit rating (59%) and the overall economy (58%)—relatively Fewer think it could have a serious negative impact on their own finances (35%). Less than half of respondents said failure to raise the debt ceiling would have a significant negative impact on unemployment (43%).
About half of Americans say they have been following the debt ceiling talks very (14%) or somewhat closely (36%), down from 70% who said they were very or somewhat closely concerned in 2011, when President Obama Republicans in Congress are negotiating to raise the debt ceiling.
Majorities support raising the debt ceiling, but a majority of Republicans (79%) and independents (58%) say it should only be raised if it is accompanied by spending cuts, while Democrats disagree. Support raising the debt ceiling (46%) and only raising the debt ceiling while cutting spending (45%).
Democrats who said they were following the negotiations very or somewhat closely were the most likely to say Congress should raise the debt ceiling anyway (64%), but that fell to 29% among Democrats who were less closely watching. Among independents and Republicans, the gap between those who are more concerned and those who are less concerned is much smaller (27% of more concerned independents say they should increase their approval ratings anyway, while Among less concerned independents it was 18 percent; for Republicans those numbers were 7 percent and 5 percent, respectively).
Partisan divides were less sharp when it came to assessing the potential harm of not raising the debt ceiling: Majorities of Democrats (77%), independents (71%) and Republicans (65%) saw not raising the debt ceiling as a major concern, or Worse for the country, bipartisan majorities agree that failure to raise the cap could have a significant negative impact on the economy (63% among Democrats, 60% among independents, and 52% among Republicans).
Despite the stakes and broad consensus limit should be raisedMost Americans of any partisan leaning say that if their side gives up too much in ongoing negotiations, it will be a bigger problem than the government’s inability to pay its bills. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 73 percent said they were more worried that Democrats would give up too much and important government programs would no longer be funded than that Democrats would not compromise and the government would not be able to pay back existing Debt (26% more worried about this possibility). Among Republicans and Republican-leaning independents, 73 percent said they were more worried that Republicans would give up too much and that government spending would continue at current levels than that Republicans would not compromise and the government would inability to pay its expenses. With existing debt, 27% are more worried about defaulting.
Biden has 40% approval in the new poll, with 60% disapproving. That’s about where he was in CNN’s March poll, when it was at 42 percent, but has been on a downward trend since January, when 45 percent approved of his performance .
Approval ratings for Biden’s handling of key issues are nearly all lower than his handling of the presidency in general. Just 35% approve of the way he handles the federal budget, 34% approve of the way he handles the economy and 30% approve of the way he handles immigration. Biden has the majority support (52%) for his handling of government policy on Covid-19.
The economy remains sluggish in the eyes of most Americans, with 76% saying it’s not doing well, up from 71% I felt this way in March. What can turn things around? When those who said the economy was doing badly were asked to choose from five things that would most improve their view of the economy, 37% said lower inflation would help and 36% said Washington’s A change in political leadership, 11% said positively a change in their personal financial situation, and 5% or fewer chose increased stability in the banking system or a continued rise in the stock market. Democrats (47%) and independents (42%) were more likely to say lower inflation would improve their view of the economy more than any other option, while 53% for Republicans of those who said a change in political leadership would do so.
Voting is fully conducted after a national emergency What was announced at the start of the coronavirus pandemic has overdue.that expires Marks the end of Covid-era immigration policy The bill, known as Title 42, allows authorities to quickly deport migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. Has not seen a dramatic increase in immigration Seeking asylum after Title 42 expires. However, polls show that the percentage of Americans describing the situation at the southern border as a crisis has risen compared with last year. In the new poll, 77% said it was a crisis, up from 68% who said the same last spring. The increase was seen more among Democrats (65 percent, up from 54 percent) and independents (76 percent, up from 58 percent), as Republicans almost universally view the situation as a crisis (91 percent of people feel that way in the new poll).
About half of Americans (52%) say the Biden administration’s handling of the situation has worsened the situation at the border, while just 12% say it has improved and 37% say it has had no effect. More than eight in 10 Republicans say Biden has made the situation worse at the border (84%), while Democrats and independents are more divided. Among Democrats, 51% said Biden’s handling had had no impact, 28% said he had helped and 21% said he had been hurt, while among independents, 49% said Biden Biden made things worse, with 44% saying he had no impact and only 7% that Biden improved the situation.
The CNN Poll was conducted by SSRS May 17-20 among a random national sample of 1,227 adults drawn from probability-based panels. Surveys are conducted either online or by phone with live interviewers. The full-sample results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3.7 points; it is larger for subgroups.