Voters Don’t Want a Shutdown, They Want Action on the National Debt Instead
Last Updated September 1, 2023
Congress faces a September 30 deadline to find agreement on a budget and avert a government shutdown. A vast majority of voters is urging them to come together to find a solution.
A new Peterson Foundation poll shows that nine-in-ten Americans want policymakers to work together to avoid a shutdown and focus on implementing solutions to our growing national debt. Strong majorities of voters across party lines believe a shutdown should be avoided because it harms the economy (77%) and because it distracts from America’s larger fiscal challenges (70%).
As Foundation CEO Michael Peterson said, “Nobody wins in a government shutdown, especially our economy and the American people.”
See the below infographic for further details on this new polling.
Further Reading
What Is a Continuing Resolution?
A continuing resolution is a temporary funding measure that Congress can use to fund the federal government for a limited amount of time.
Continuing Resolutions Are Stopgap Measures — But Now We Average Five a Year
While continuing resolutions can help avoid government shutdowns, they should be rarely used. However, CRs have become the norm.
Why Do Budget Baselines Matter?
Applying the current-policy baseline would not only be fiscally irresponsible in terms of this year’s tax debate, but it would set a dangerous precedent for the future.