Polling shows the majority of American voters (59.2 percent) oppose raising the debt ceiling with and without there being some restrictions on government spending.
The results of the poll, conducted by Convention of States Action in conjunction with the Trafalgar Group, were obtained by Breitbart News exclusively ahead of their public release. The results appear to support the recent legislation from the House Republicans that raise the debt ceiling while restricting spending.
The poll showed that 59.2 percent of voters are completely opposed to raising the debt ceiling (22 percent) and say that the ceiling should only be raised if spending cuts are included (37.2 percent), similar to the plan passed by House Republicans last month. However, there were still 40.8 percent who said the debt ceiling should be raised without there being any spending cuts.
“We hear from tens of thousands of engaged citizens every week across the country, and the vast majority of the American people are incredibly pragmatic about policy decisions coming out of Washington, DC. On the debt ceiling issue, Americans tell us they don’t understand why a country that has overspent for decades would just continue to spend and add debt without any restraints or conditions,” said Mark Meckler, president of the Convention of States. “This is insane fiscal policy, just as it would be insane to keep throwing more and more on a personal credit card with no payment plan, and asking the card company to raise one’s personal credit card limit.”
Notably, when broken down by political party for respondents, 90.2 percent of Republicans, 61.7 percent of independents, and 28.1 percent of Democrats said they would oppose raising the debt ceiling with or without there being some type of restrictions on government spending.
On the opposite side, 71.9 percent of Democrats, 38.3 percent of independents, and 9.8 percent of Republicans said that the debt ceiling should be raised without requiring spending cuts.
“These results—in some sense—are not surprising,” Meckler added. “What is surprising is the degree to which elected representatives are flat out ignoring this and lecturing all of us about being responsible adults at the same time. Voters are watching for leaders who stand with their priorities, not those who are perpetuating the unrestricted grift going on in DC.”
House Republicans passed legislation — the Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023 — to raise the debt ceiling last month. The legislation would raise the debt ceiling by $1.5 trillion while tackling America’s national deficit by saving the government an estimated $4.8 trillion over the next ten years. While the U.S. is expected to reach its debt limit as early as June 1, President Joe Biden had refused to meet with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to discuss the House Republicans’ plan until recently — after nearly 100 days.
The poll was conducted between May 9 and 12, with 1087 likely general election voters. There was a 95 percent confidence rate and a 2.9 percent margin of error.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. Write to him at jbliss@breitbart.com or follow him on Twitter @JacobMBliss.