Over half the country approves of the spending bill: Poll
Christopher Tremoglie
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The controversial spending bill passed by Congress last month has been quite a hot topic among voters recently. The spending bill was passed by the Senate and signed by President Joe Biden; it funds the government through November 17.
It spurred much debate about what should be considered necessary government spending and what wastes taxpayer money. It was a temporary solution to a much larger problem. However, over half of the country approved of the bill that passed, according to a recent poll.
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Rasmussen Reports found that 54% of likely U.S. voters approved of the stopgap bill passed by Congress at the end of September. This included 20% who “strongly approved of the bill.” Conversely, only 37% disapproved of the spending bill, including 17% of respondents who strongly disapproved.
The results were not altogether shocking and probably what one should expect given the nation’s political climate. It’s a safe assumption that most people were just happy to avoid a shutdown, even if the bill is more of a Band-Aid than an actual fix.
The most contentious issue of the spending bill involved the continued funding for the war in Ukraine with U.S. taxpayer money. The most recent bill did not include additional funding for the war, for which the nation has already spent over $75 billion in aid. As such, recent polls have shown that support in the country has waned for continuing to provide Ukraine with weapons, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Only 41% of those surveyed felt the government should continue to “provide weapons to Ukraine.” Comparatively, 35% disagreed, and the rest of the respondents were unsure, Reuters reported.
It’s a growing trend in recent months and in stark contrast to the opinions of those from when the war first started in February 2022. Sentiment in the country has grown that rather than fund the war for a country nearly 5,000 miles from Washington, D.C., American taxpayer dollars should be spent on solving the many issues and challenges facing people in this country.
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“The declining support is having a negative effect on congressional support, and eventually, prospects for additional aid packages,” said Elizabeth Hoffman from the Center for Strategic & International Studies.
With only 37 days until the stopgap bill expires, it remains to be seen how much, if any, funding for Ukraine will be included in future bills. Moreover, it remains to be seen how much longer people in the country will continue to support sending billions of taxpayer dollars to another country.