While a large majority of Americans agree that failing to raise the debt limit would have negative consequences on the economy, only slightly more than half support it, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. A record 20 percent have no faith that either party will address the nation’s other big problems.
Thirty-seven percent of Republicans said they would be against raising the limit under any circumstances; one-third of independents and almost a fifth of Democrats agreed, according to the Washington Post. However, 55 percent of Democrats and half of Republicans would support a debt-limit deal that includes a reduction in the size of government. The Treasury Department has warned that Congress must raise the country’s debt ceiling by Aug. 2 or the U.S. will begin defaulting on its obligations.
The 20 percent of Americans who think neither Republicans nor Democrats can be trusted to handle the country’s most pressing problems—the largest percentage in nearly 30 years of polling data—may reflect disappointment in the ongoing negotiations to reduce the country’s deficit, which have so far failed to produce an agreement, as well as frustration with the still-fragile economic recovery.
Bipartisan talks aimed at reaching an agreement on a deficit reduction plan will resume Thursday when the group of six lawmakers led by Vice President Joe Biden convenes.
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