Poll: Voters Don’t Want New Legislation or Tax Cuts that Increase the National Debt
Last Updated January 30, 2025
This year, President Trump and the new Congress face a series of high stakes fiscal policy decisions including the debt ceiling, a government funding deadline and — perhaps most importantly — the expiration of trillions in tax cuts.
New polling shows that Americans have little appetite for new legislation that adds to our $36 trillion and rising national debt. In fact, strong majorities of voters across party lines are urging lawmakers to reduce deficits compared to current-law levels. More specifically, nearly 8-in-10 voters are calling on the new administration and Congress to ensure that any changes in tax policy this year do not add to the debt.
Commenting on these results, Michael A. Peterson, CEO of the Peterson Foundation, said “As a new president and Congress take office, voters across the political spectrum see the need to prioritize addressing our $36 trillion and rising national debt. When it comes to the major tax reform debate in 2025, Americans are clear that lawmakers should ‘do no fiscal harm’ by making sure that any changes to the tax system don’t make our debt any worse. We’re already on track to add $22 trillion more in new debt over the next ten years, including $14 trillion in interest payments, so the time to act is now.”
Image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Further Reading
House Reconciliation Bill Would Add Trillions to the National Debt
The bill would increase debt by $3.0 trillion over the next 10 years, driving it from nearly 100 percent of GDP now to 124 percent of GDP by 2034.
The Scorekeepers Agree: Budget Bill will Increase U.S. Debt by Trillions
The House recently passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, and fiscal scorekeepers are unanimous in their assessment that it would increase federal debt by trillions of dollars within 10 years.
House Reconciliation Bill Would Increase the National Debt by More Than Any Other Recent Legislation
The House recently passed the largest reconciliation bill ever. CBO estimates it would add $2.4 trillion (excluding interest) to the national debt over 10 years.