A May 4 Quinnipiac University poll found that 75 percent of people oppose cutting Medicare to reduce the deficit; 60 percent oppose Rep. Paul Ryan’s plan to privatize Medicare.
A May 3 Rasmussen poll found growing opposition to Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget plan, which would privatize Medicare among other things; 26 percent support it, 34 percent oppose – up from 27 percent a month ago – and 40 percent don’t know enough to have an opinion.
On May 3, the Concord Coalition published a report examining various budget process reforms currently being discussed in Congress.
On May 2, Treasury Secretary Geithner sent a letter to Congress urging it to raise the debt limit as soon as possible. That same day, Acting Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy John Bellows addressed the Treasury Borrowing Advisory Committee on current economic conditions related to Treasury borrowing needs.
A May 2 National Journal report found 51 senators opposed to an increase in the debt limit with only 22 in favor.
A May 2 Gallup poll found that two-thirds of people think that Social Security and Medicare are in crisis or soon will be, but mostly oppose doing anything about it. See also this April 13 Gallup poll.
Also on May 2, the International Monetary Fund published a working paper examining indicators of fiscal stress.
On May 1, Senator Jim DeMint (R-NC) published an op-ed article in which he insisted that the debt limit must not be raised no matter what the consequences.
An April 29 Gallup poll found that only 20 percent of people believe the budget deficit should be reduced just by cutting spending; 76 percent say that higher taxes must also play a role.
Also on April 29, Pew posted an analysis of the deterioration in the budget since 2001, decomposing the change in projections into various components.
I last posted items on this topic on May 2.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
