With the looming prospect of a government shutdown growing larger every day, two recent polls show that Americans overwhelmingly want Congress and Obama to reach a budget deal before the March 4 deadline.
According to a Gallup poll, six in ten Americans would rather see a compromise than see Senators who represent their interests hold out for a sweeter deal, even if it leads to a government shutdown. And in a PPP poll released earlier this week, 62% said they thought a government shutdown would be bad for the country, while only 26% said it would be a good thing.
If a federal budget isn’t passed by the March 4 deadline, the government will cease all non-essential spending until a budget is be passed.
Yet while Americans want to avoid a shutdown, it’s unclear if one can be prevented. Americans are also eager to see Congress make significant budget cuts, though Democrats and Republicans are deeply divided over how much — and from where — to find those savings.
The House recently passed a Republican-backed bill that would trim $61 billion from the budget, far less than the $100 billion in cuts the GOP pledged to make during the midterm elections. Senate Democrats have balked at that bill, which would would eliminate all funding for Planned Parenthood, among other contentious cuts.
What’s not clear at this point is which party has more at stake if a shut down does occur. In the PPP poll, 41% said they would fault Republicans for a shut down, while 35% said they would fault Obama. But in the Gallup poll, Americans, by a slim 42% to 39% margin, thought Republicans rather than Obama were doing the most to reach a compromise.
The Gallup poll was conducted February 18 among 1,004 adults nationwide. The PPP poll as conducted February 17-20 among 1,002 registered voters nationwide, and has a margin of error of 3.2%.
