SCOOP: New polling reveals vast majority of registered voters concerned about entitlement abuse, big on tax cuts
THE LOWDOWN:
A new poll is illustrating how voters feel about waste, fraud, and abuse when it comes to their entitlements in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.
The poll, conducted for the 85 Fund, found that 71 percent of registered voters are concerned about waste, fraud, and abuse within the programs. Thirty-seven percent said they are somewhat concerned, while 34 percent said they are very concerned.
The polls also asked registered voters about their feelings surrounding the GOP efforts to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Forty-five percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for an elected official who opposed extending the tax cuts and 57 percent said they would be less likely to support an elected official who voted to raise their taxes by blocking the extension of the 2017 tax cuts.
Waste, fraud, and abuse have come to the forefront of the American zeitgeist as Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dive into how taxpayer money has been spent.
Now, a new poll is illustrating how voters feel about the subject when it comes to their entitlements in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security; the poll’s release comes as Republican-aligned groups, like the American Action Network (AAN), announce plans to spend almost $10 million in ads that defend Republicans against Democratic attacks over Medicaid cuts.
The poll, conducted for the 85 Fund, found that 71 percent of registered voters are concerned about waste, fraud, and abuse within the programs. Thirty-seven percent said they are somewhat concerned, while 34 percent said they are very concerned.
Conversely, 24 percent said they were not concerned — 15 percent not very concerned and nine percent “not concerned at all” — while five percent were unsure.
Fifty-nine percent of voters polled said they supported efforts to institute a work requirement for Medicaid while 68 percent said they supported efforts to cut back on waste, fraud, and abuse in programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
The polls also asked registered voters about their feelings surrounding the GOP efforts to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Forty-five percent of voters said they would be less likely to vote for an elected official who opposed extending the tax cuts and 57 percent said they would be less likely to support an elected official who voted to raise their taxes by blocking the extension of the 2017 tax cuts.
When asked for their reasons supporting the 2017 tax cuts, 64 percent said it was the current cost of living and 63 percent said it was because of research and data showing everyone benefitted from the cuts.
Fifty-six percent said they support the 2017 cuts because of the waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer dollars they have learned about while 55 percent said the threat of increased taxes in the event of no extension.
The numbers illustrate a point that Republicans have been making for years: the majority of Americans support the 2017 Trump tax cuts and are watching their elected officials to see how they vote on the extension.
