A Majority of Republican Voters Say the GOP Should Raise the Debt Limit — Without Cuts to Social Security or Medicare
By Sabrina Jacobs
Today, the U.S. Treasury announced the United States had reached its debt limit, prompting the department to take extraordinary measures to ensure that the government can meet its financial obligations and avoid an economic crisis. In response, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has urged Congress to raise the debt limit. However, Republican lawmakers have refused to budge, asking Democrats to cut spending on critical programs like Medicare in exchange for raising the debt limit.
In a new poll fielded from January 13 to 15, Data for Progress finds only 14 percent of voters have heard “a lot” about the United States reaching a deadline to raise the federal debt limit. This includes 17 percent of Democrats, 14 percent of Independents, and 11 percent of Republicans. Fifty-six percent of voters have heard “a little” about the deadline for the federal debt limit and 29 percent have heard “nothing at all.”
When the debt limit is reached, as it was today, the U.S. government is at risk of defaulting on its financial obligations. This would prevent our government from making payments that fund everything from Social Security checks, to Medicare, to federal workers' salaries. This is why it’s so important to raise the debt limit and protect those who depend on these crucial programs.
Fifty-eight percent of voters support raising the debt limit, including 78 percent of Democrats, 56 percent of Independents, and 39 percent of Republicans.
Despite the importance of raising the debt limit, Republicans in Congress have used the debt limit as a negotiating tool to further their own political agenda. They staunchly refuse to raise it unless Democrats agree to cut spending on programs like Social Security and Medicare. Data for Progress finds 63 percent of voters agree that Republicans should raise the debt limit without forcing any spending cuts. This includes 78 percent of Democrats, 59 percent of Independents, and 50 percent of Republicans.
These findings mirror polling conducted by Data for Progress in November 2022, which found that a majority of voters support raising the debt limit to protect government programs like Social Security — and a majority support permanently eliminating the debt limit altogether.
In fact, 62 percent of voters believe Republicans need to prioritize working with Democrats to find a solution and raise the debt limit, rather than opposing Democrats for their own political gain. This includes 81 percent of Democrats, 60 percent of Independents, and 45 percent of Republicans.
Hitting the debt limit has huge implications for the U.S. economy and for those who depend on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Republicans have essentially held the debt limit hostage as a way to make cuts to necessary and crucial social programs. Fifty-six percent of voters think it’s “very” or “somewhat” important that Congress address raising the debt limit, including 70 percent of Democrats, 46 percent of Independents, and 50 percent of Republicans.
While the deadline for raising the debt limit had been looming for months, Congress was handcuffed by Republicans who prioritized spending cuts over the U.S. economy and funding social programs that help their own constituents. Rather than practice effective governing, Republican lawmakers used the debt limit as a political tool and as a result, the U.S. government reached its debt limit.
Sabrina Jacobs (@bri_jacobs) is a digital fellow at Data for Progress.