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@ISIDEWITHQuestionsEconomyStarted 12yrs agoActive 2yrs ago

Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?

Proponents of deficit reduction argue that governments who do not control budget deficits and debt are at risk of losing their ability to borrow money at affordable rates. Opponents of deficit reduction argue that government spending would increase demand for goods and services and help avert a dangerous fall into deflation, a downward spiral in wages and prices that can cripple an economy for years.

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Answer Overview

Response rates from 7.2m America voters.

64%
Yes
36%
No
57%
Yes
24%
No
5%
Yes, and eliminate federal agencies that are unconstitutional
6%
No, increase taxes on large multinational corporations instead
1%
Yes, but by drastically reducing the benefits and salaries of government officials
3%
No, reduce military spending instead
1%
Yes, and increase taxes
2%
No, cuts to public spending will negatively affect the economy
1%
No, increase taxes on the wealthy instead
0%
No, focus on ending tax evasion instead
0%
No, reduce the number of government officials instead

Historical Support

Trend of support over time for each answer from 7.2m America voters.

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Historical Importance

Trend of how important this issue is for 7.2m America voters.

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Other Popular Answers

Unique answers from America voters whose views went beyond the provided options.

 @92JWXW7 from Kentucky  answered…4yrs4Y

No, reduce the amount of government officials instead. We should also focus on ending tax evasion too. Cuts to public spending will negatively affect the economy.

 @8FTVLYP from Michigan  answered…6yrs6Y

Essentially yes. But other things need to be done. Increase taxes on top income bracket, eliminate deductions and loopholes on taxes for large corporations, reduce military spending and police budgets.

 @B648NBC from New York  answered…11mos11MO

No unnecessary cuts to social safety net programs and essential government services and no unnecessary spending

 @8D7X8VB from Pennsylvania  answered…6yrs6Y

Yes, replace many gov programs such as welfare with UNIVERSAL INCOME. too much waste in government spending and programs.

 @8JCJLWV from Texas  answered…6yrs6Y

Changes are needed but this is a very complicated question

 @8W6XWGK from Colorado  answered…5yrs5Y

Yes, but only where there is unnecessary spending in public funds.

 @92C5M7S from Kentucky  answered…4yrs4Y

No, reduce the amount of government officials instead. We should also focus on ending tax evasion too. Also cuts to public spending will negatively affect the economy.

 @9T6DN2M from North Carolina  answered…2yrs2Y

No, boost taxes on the wealthy and large corporations and focus on ending tax evasion and eliminating wasteful spending instead

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2yrs2Y

Elizabeth Warren Walks Back Murder Comments

Congressional Democrats broadly denounced the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Friday morning, after Republicans started accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of excusing violence.“No one's condoning this,” said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.). “Violence never is the right answer for anything. And it was a horrible murder, a tragic loss for his family.” Warren this week condemned the shooting, but added that people “can be pushed only so far.”"We'll say it over and over," Warren said on MSNBC’S “The ReidOut.” " Violence is never the answer. This guy [Luigi Mangione] gets a trial who's allegedly killed the CEO of UnitedHealth, but you can only push people so far, and then they start to take matters into their own hands."In a statement to POLITICO, Warren said, “Violence is never the answer. Period. I should have been much clearer that there is never a justification for murder.” Top Republicans denounced Warren's comments and the walked-back rhetoric, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) calling it “inappropriate and dangerous.”Some House Democrats asked about the incident on Thursday pivoted the conversation to discuss policy options on health care or gun safety.“I don't really know that this is really a space that Congress normally weighs in on,” said Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas). “But at the end of the day, I think it’s an opportunity, because now people are talking about health care and to talk about the fact that this industry has honestly not been as helpful as it could be.”“Violence is never the answer,” said Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.). “We know that there are people suffering, there’s great challenges in healthcare. There's great challenges, and people have, in fact, been wronged, but a process of governance is the way to address that, not violence.”And Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) who denounced the murder, said the killer should be prosecuted and that “I do know that allegedly a ghost gun was used, and we should also ban ghost guns. There's no reason for them beyond the streets.”

▲  1614 replies

About This Data

Based on 7.2m responses to this question.

These results come from iSideWith's ongoing political issues survey. We collect over a million responses per day, filter out duplicate and multiple submissions, and break the results down by political party, ideology, age, state, and census demographics (income, race, education, household).

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iSideWith. (2026). “Should the government make cuts to public spending in order to reduce the national debt?” — Public Opinion Poll Results. Retrieved June 25, 2026, from https://www.isidewith.com/polls/488729614

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