Most Americans don't support raising debt ceiling without spending cuts: polls

The White House has said President Biden will not support a bill raising the debt limit in exchange for spending cuts.

Published: May 16, 2023 9:18am

Updated: May 16, 2023 11:42am

Most Americans are not in favor of President Biden's position in debt ceiling negotiations of raising the debt limit without spending cuts, new polls show.

While 40.8% of likely general election voters say the debt limit, which sits at more than $31 trillion, should be raised without spending cuts, 37.2% say the debt limit should only be raised if the government cuts spending, according to a Convention of States Action poll released Tuesday.

The survey, conducted in partnership with the pollster the Trafalgar Group, also shows 22% of respondents say the debt limit should not be increased at all.

If Congress does not raise the debt limit by June 1, the United States risks defaulting on its debt for the first time ever, warns Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll published Tuesday shows 51% of Americans say the ceiling should not be raised without major spending cuts – when given only two options, raising the debt ceiling without conditions or raising it only with spending constraints.

The number of Americans who support cutting spending in exchange for raising the debt ceiling may be even higher. A Harvard CAPS Harris Poll last month found that 65% of Americans said Congress should raise the debt ceiling only with constraints on future spending, compared to 35% who said it should be raised without conditions.

The White House has said Biden will not support a bill raising the debt limit in exchange for spending cuts, putting him at odds with most Americans from these three polls.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted from May 9-15 with 4,415 U.S. adults and has a 2% margin of error.

The Convention of States survey was conducted from May 9-10 with 1,087 respondents and has a 2.9% margin of error.

The Harvard CAPS poll was conducted April 18-19 with 1,845 registered voters, and the margin of error was not clearly stated.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.