Sep 01, 2021
Underscoring what critics call the out-of-touch nature of Republican and right-wing Democrats' opposition to the Build Back Better bill supported by the Biden administration and progressive U.S. lawmakers, new polling published Wednesday confirmed that a majority of likely American voters favor the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.
The Invest in America and Data for Progress survey (pdf) of 1,201 likely U.S. voters, conducted from August 27 to August 30, found that 61% of all respondents supported the $3.5 trillion spending proposal. Among Democratic voters, support for the measure soared to 83%, while 58% of Indpendent and third-party voters, and 40% of Republicans, backed the bill.
Some of the bill's individual provisions saw even higher support among survey respondents, including long-term care (80%), power grid modernization (74%), and updating K-12 schools (71%). Even the bill's more controversial components enjoyed majority support, including a pathway to citizenship for migrants (61%) and free community college (59%).
\u201cNEW NUMBERS: Voters support the #BuildBackBetter agenda by a +31-point margin (!!!) according to our latest polling with @DataProgress. Let\u2019s. Get. This. Done.\u201d— Invest in America (@Invest in America) 1630519040
While Republicans and right-wing Democrats including Sens. Joe Manchin (W-Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) have balked at the bill's $3.5 trillion price tag, the survey found that a majority of all queried voters do not want to cut provisions from the proposed budget. For example, 75% want long-term care to remain in the package, while 69% and 64% respectively say that power grid modernization and updating K-12 schools should not be removed.
Surveyed voters expressed even stronger support for the proposed $550 billion bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which would invest in the nation's roads, bridges, railways, broadband internet, and environmental resiliency. Sixty-nine percent of all likely voters--including 81% of Democrats, 68% of Independents and third-party supporters, and 55% of Republicans--back the proposed legislation.
Furthermore, 60% of survey respondents said they agree with the statement that "the wealthy and large corporations currently aren't paying their fair share" of taxes, and that "to fund investments in long-term care for seniors, healthcare, and clean energy, we should raise taxes."
\u201c#TaxTheRich\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1630528861
The U.S. Senate approved the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint without a single Republican vote on August 11, while the House passed the measure along party lines nearly two weeks later. As congressional Democrats advance the process of translating the proposal into legislative text, they face an aggressive corporate lobbying campaign to slash or weaken crucial provisions.
Earlier this summer, Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who played a key role in drafting the bill and has held a pair of Midwestern town halls to promote it--called lobbying efforts against the proposal a "sign of the greed that pervades corporate America."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
us congresspoliticsjoe bidenkyrsten sinemajoe manchintaxationdata for progresscorporate powerbernie sanders
Underscoring what critics call the out-of-touch nature of Republican and right-wing Democrats' opposition to the Build Back Better bill supported by the Biden administration and progressive U.S. lawmakers, new polling published Wednesday confirmed that a majority of likely American voters favor the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.
The Invest in America and Data for Progress survey (pdf) of 1,201 likely U.S. voters, conducted from August 27 to August 30, found that 61% of all respondents supported the $3.5 trillion spending proposal. Among Democratic voters, support for the measure soared to 83%, while 58% of Indpendent and third-party voters, and 40% of Republicans, backed the bill.
Some of the bill's individual provisions saw even higher support among survey respondents, including long-term care (80%), power grid modernization (74%), and updating K-12 schools (71%). Even the bill's more controversial components enjoyed majority support, including a pathway to citizenship for migrants (61%) and free community college (59%).
\u201cNEW NUMBERS: Voters support the #BuildBackBetter agenda by a +31-point margin (!!!) according to our latest polling with @DataProgress. Let\u2019s. Get. This. Done.\u201d— Invest in America (@Invest in America) 1630519040
While Republicans and right-wing Democrats including Sens. Joe Manchin (W-Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) have balked at the bill's $3.5 trillion price tag, the survey found that a majority of all queried voters do not want to cut provisions from the proposed budget. For example, 75% want long-term care to remain in the package, while 69% and 64% respectively say that power grid modernization and updating K-12 schools should not be removed.
Surveyed voters expressed even stronger support for the proposed $550 billion bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which would invest in the nation's roads, bridges, railways, broadband internet, and environmental resiliency. Sixty-nine percent of all likely voters--including 81% of Democrats, 68% of Independents and third-party supporters, and 55% of Republicans--back the proposed legislation.
Furthermore, 60% of survey respondents said they agree with the statement that "the wealthy and large corporations currently aren't paying their fair share" of taxes, and that "to fund investments in long-term care for seniors, healthcare, and clean energy, we should raise taxes."
\u201c#TaxTheRich\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1630528861
The U.S. Senate approved the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint without a single Republican vote on August 11, while the House passed the measure along party lines nearly two weeks later. As congressional Democrats advance the process of translating the proposal into legislative text, they face an aggressive corporate lobbying campaign to slash or weaken crucial provisions.
Earlier this summer, Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who played a key role in drafting the bill and has held a pair of Midwestern town halls to promote it--called lobbying efforts against the proposal a "sign of the greed that pervades corporate America."
Underscoring what critics call the out-of-touch nature of Republican and right-wing Democrats' opposition to the Build Back Better bill supported by the Biden administration and progressive U.S. lawmakers, new polling published Wednesday confirmed that a majority of likely American voters favor the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package.
The Invest in America and Data for Progress survey (pdf) of 1,201 likely U.S. voters, conducted from August 27 to August 30, found that 61% of all respondents supported the $3.5 trillion spending proposal. Among Democratic voters, support for the measure soared to 83%, while 58% of Indpendent and third-party voters, and 40% of Republicans, backed the bill.
Some of the bill's individual provisions saw even higher support among survey respondents, including long-term care (80%), power grid modernization (74%), and updating K-12 schools (71%). Even the bill's more controversial components enjoyed majority support, including a pathway to citizenship for migrants (61%) and free community college (59%).
\u201cNEW NUMBERS: Voters support the #BuildBackBetter agenda by a +31-point margin (!!!) according to our latest polling with @DataProgress. Let\u2019s. Get. This. Done.\u201d— Invest in America (@Invest in America) 1630519040
While Republicans and right-wing Democrats including Sens. Joe Manchin (W-Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (Ariz.) have balked at the bill's $3.5 trillion price tag, the survey found that a majority of all queried voters do not want to cut provisions from the proposed budget. For example, 75% want long-term care to remain in the package, while 69% and 64% respectively say that power grid modernization and updating K-12 schools should not be removed.
Surveyed voters expressed even stronger support for the proposed $550 billion bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act, which would invest in the nation's roads, bridges, railways, broadband internet, and environmental resiliency. Sixty-nine percent of all likely voters--including 81% of Democrats, 68% of Independents and third-party supporters, and 55% of Republicans--back the proposed legislation.
Furthermore, 60% of survey respondents said they agree with the statement that "the wealthy and large corporations currently aren't paying their fair share" of taxes, and that "to fund investments in long-term care for seniors, healthcare, and clean energy, we should raise taxes."
\u201c#TaxTheRich\u201d— Unrig Our Economy (@Unrig Our Economy) 1630528861
The U.S. Senate approved the $3.5 trillion budget blueprint without a single Republican vote on August 11, while the House passed the measure along party lines nearly two weeks later. As congressional Democrats advance the process of translating the proposal into legislative text, they face an aggressive corporate lobbying campaign to slash or weaken crucial provisions.
Earlier this summer, Senate Budget Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)--who played a key role in drafting the bill and has held a pair of Midwestern town halls to promote it--called lobbying efforts against the proposal a "sign of the greed that pervades corporate America."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.