Maybe Americans are waking up to see what is really going on in Washington D.C. where the U.S. government has been under complete control of Republicans for the past year and a half.
In a new poll that could have major ramifications in this fall’s midterm elections it has been confirmed that a majority of Americans now say they do not approve of how the U.S. budget deficit is being handled by Republicans and the Trump administration.
In the latest American Barometer poll, published by The Hill, 56 percent of respondents said they disapprove of what the GOP has done to increase the size of the budget deficit. The Trump administration’s own estimates show that the staggering deficit will be over $1 trillion this year.
In a somewhat surprising response, 44 percent of poll participants indicated that they actually approve of what Republicans are doing with the deficit.
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
The survey also found that just 21 percent of Republicans disapprove of the GOP’s handling of the deficit, and 79 percent said they approve, which shows that the GOP is no longer the party of fiscal responsibility.
Democrats of course see the rising red ink as a problem, with just 19 percent of those who were polled saying they approve of how the administration and GOP have handled the budget while 81 percent said they disapprove.
The problem for Republicans in the midterm elections will be the negative view held by independent voters of how U.S. finances are being handled by the party in power in Washington. It is these “swing†voters who are not affiliated with either party who almost always determine the outcome of close elections.
And in the new survey, 30 percent more independent voters disapprove of the GOP than approve of the way Republicans are handling the budget deficit.
Fully 65 percent of the independent voters expressed disapproval with what Republicans are doing with the budget, compared to only 35 percent who said they approved.
In June the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said that U.S. federal deficits in 2019 could surpass $1 trillion for the first time, a staggering number which is over 5.1 percent of the U.S.’ gross domestic product (GDP).
Tied in with attitudes on the budget deficit are opinions about the massive GOP tax-cut law which was passed in December of last year. It was touted as a tax cut for the middle class, but most middle class voters know it was intended to provide hundreds of billions of dollars of unneeded tax cuts for billionaires and large corporations.
Also creating problems is the massive spending bill signed by President Trump last spring.
Republicans are trying to bankrupt the country in order to force social programs to be reduced or terminated. It is up to voters in this fall’s election to throw them out of power so that Democrats can take over and bring new fiscal responsibility to the U.S. government.
I am a lifelong Democrat with a passion for social justice and progressive issues. I have degrees in writing, economics and law from the University of Iowa.
