A large majority of Americans believe that the debt ceiling should be treated as a separate matter from a debate over spending cuts, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Wednesday.
The poll showed that 58 percent of respondents think that the debt ceiling should be separated from spending cuts — a blow to Republicans on Capitol Hill who have insisted that government spending be slashed before the debt limit is raised. Thirty-six percent said the debt ceiling should only be raised with spending cuts attached.
The results of the poll undercut House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), who on Monday argued that Americans “do not support raising the debt ceiling without reducing government spending at the same time.” President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has taken a hard-line on the matter, repeatedly rejecting the prospect of negotiating around the debt ceiling.
