Congressional Insiders Poll

Click here to read how prominent political bloggers responded to these questions.

Q: How should Congress respond to the recent deficit projections?

Democrats (26 votes)

                                                  Yes   No 

Pass something close to President Obama's budget  84%   16%
Delay some major Obama initiatives                16%   84%
Cut the growth in entitlements                    56%   44%
Cut the growth in defense spending                81%   19%

Pass something close to president's budget Yes. "We need to send a message that we are willing to make bold decisions, and that some issues cannot wait."

Yes. "Deficit reduction should not be the plan in the middle of a depression -- as Roosevelt proved in 1936. We will make the necessary changes to cut the deficit after we get out of the ditch. Growth will help us out of the deficit."

Delay some major Obama initiatives No. "There's no reason to delay debates on education, health care, energy, etc. Having these discussions in the context of public anxiety over red ink will hopefully help us modernize policy and reduce costs."

Cut the growth in entitlements Yes. "With all the hits nest eggs have taken, it's doubtful we can make any real progress. The third rail is alive and well."

Yes. "Adjust entitlements in the larger context of health care reform."

No. "Almost impossible."

Cut the growth in defense spending Yes. "That should happen as part of Obama's budget."

Yes. "Only going to happen if Democrats can get beyond the fear of political backlash and do it responsibly. Maybe this is more of a post-midterms thing."

Yes. "President Eisenhower warned against the military-industrial complex, yet we continue to feed this insatiable beast with increasingly more expensive weapons systems with mission goals that are ill-suited to meet national and global post-Cold War security threats."

Q: How should Congress respond to the recent deficit projections?

Republicans (30 votes)

                                                  Yes   No

Pass something close to President Obama's budget   0%   100%
Delay some major Obama initiatives                97%     3%
Cut the growth in entitlements                    97%     3%
Cut the growth in defense spending                13%    87%

Pass something close to president's budget No. "The Obama budget establishes an unsustainable rate of spending and government expansion that will leave our children and grandchildren bankrupt."

No. "Unsustainable borrowing."

No. "Not unless you believe a $10 trillion deficit equals economic growth in any of our lifetimes."

Delay some major Obama initiatives Yes. "Better yet, scrap 'em. It's pure nonsense to even consider this wild-eyed stuff in a recession."

Yes. "Where's the money coming from to pay for socialized medicine, schools? And is deficit spending ever a real solution to making lives better?"

Cut the growth in entitlements Yes. "No one wants to say it, but Social Security was never intended for the workers of the 21st century. People are now paying into a system that won't exist when they retire."

Yes. "Otherwise, we're just nibbling at the edges."

Cut the growth in defense spending No. "They need to use the money they currently have better, more efficiently."

No. "We're mired in two wars and threats are emerging around the globe. Get serious, people!"

National Journal Insiders

Democratic Congressional Insiders Sens. Sherrod Brown, Ben Cardin, Thomas Carper, Christopher Dodd, Edward Kennedy, Frank Lautenberg, Barbara Mikulski, Mark Pryor, Jon Tester; Reps. Jason Altmire, Robert Andrews, Michael Arcuri, Tammy Baldwin, Melissa Bean, Xavier Becerra, Howard Berman, Marion Berry, Rick Boucher, Michael Capuano, Dennis Cardoza, Chris Carney, James Clyburn, Jim Cooper, Joseph Crowley, Elijah Cummings, Artur Davis, Diana DeGette, Rosa DeLauro, Eliot Engel, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Bob Filner, Alcee Hastings, Mike Honda, Steve Israel, Frank Kratovil, Jim Langevin, John Lewis, Zoe Lofgren, Nita Lowey, Carolyn Maloney, Ed Markey, Jim McDermott, Jim McGovern, Kendrick Meek, Jim Moran, David Price, Silvestre Reyes, Jan Schakowsky, Jose Serrano, Adam Smith, John Spratt, Pete Stark, John Tanner, Ellen Tauscher, Bennie Thompson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Henry Waxman, and Peter Welch.

GOP Congressional Insiders Sens. Lamar Alexander, Jim Bunning, John Cornyn, Jim DeMint, Lindsey Graham, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Johnny Isakson, Richard Lugar, Mel Martinez, Lisa Murkowski, Olympia Snowe, John Thune, David Vitter; Reps. Michele Bachmann, Brian Bilbray, Marsha Blackburn, Roy Blunt, John Boehner, Charles Boustany, Kevin Brady, John Campbell, Eric Cantor, John Carter, Michael Castle, Tom Cole, Mike Conaway, David Dreier, Jeff Flake, Scott Garrett, Bob Goodlatte, Kay Granger, Doc Hastings, Pete Hoekstra, Bob Inglis, Darrell Issa, Peter King, Jack Kingston, Mark Kirk, John Kline, Christopher Lee, Dan Lungren, Kenny Marchant, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, John Mica, Candice Miller, Sue Myrick, Devin Nunes, Mike Pence, Tom Price, Adam Putnam, Dave Reichert, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mike Rogers of Michigan, Paul Ryan, Pete Sessions, John Shadegg, Adrian Smith, Mark Souder, Pat Tiberi, Fred Upton, and Joe Wilson.

This article appeared in the Saturday, March 28, 2009 edition of National Journal.

Want to stay ahead of the curve? Sign up for National Journal’s AM & PM Must Reads. News and analysis to ensure you don’t miss a thing.