Recent polls show that most Americans support raising the debt ceiling without being tied to spending cuts. The majority of respondents in an NPR-PBS Newshour-Marist poll believed that Congress should increase the debt ceiling to avoid the potential consequences of defaulting, and that spending cuts should be addressed separately. However, 42% of those surveyed thought that the debt ceiling should only be raised if significant spending cuts were implemented.
Preferences varied widely between political parties, with 75% of Democrats advocating for a clean bill while 65% of Republicans wanted cuts even if the country defaults. Almost half of independents held the opinion that the debt ceiling should only be raised if spending cuts were included.
Currently, the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats are negotiating with Republican lawmakers to reach a deal to raise the debt ceiling. President Biden is pushing for a clean bill, but Republicans are pushing for significant spending cuts along with the cap increase. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that a default could happen as early as June 1st if the ceiling isn’t raised, while some Republicans are skeptical about the exact date.
In the event of a default, respondents were divided as to who would be to blame. 45% believed that Republicans in Congress would be primarily responsible, while 43% believed President Biden would be primarily to blame. The poll was conducted among 1,286 US adults from May 15 to May 18, and the margin of error was 3.4 points.