Government Spending & the Deficit

Survey Report As President Obama prepares to sign a bipartisan budget agreement that its proponents describe as a modest step toward addressing the deficit, the public shows little appetite for making some of the spending cuts often discussed as part of a broader “grand bargain” on the budget. The latest national survey by the Pew […]

Survey Report The public closely tracked the resolution to the government shutdown and increase in the debt limit, with nearly half (49%) saying they followed news very closely and 30% saying they followed news somewhat closely. The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Oct. 17-20 among 1,001 adults, finds that interest in […]

More than half of House Republicans who wanted to use the appropriations process to de-fund the Affordable Care Act are from the South.

Survey Report With just two days to go before an Oct. 17 deadline to raise the nation’s debt limit, 51% of the public views a rise in the nation’s debt limit as “absolutely essential” in order to avoid an economic crisis, while 36% think the country can go past the deadline without major problems. Public […]

Survey Report Nearly a week into the first government shutdown in more than 17 years, most Americans express frustration and concern about the situation. Yet on the core issue dividing Republicans and Democrats in Washington – whether cuts or delays to the 2010 health care law should be part of any budget deal – there […]

Two separate, but related conversations have been prominent on Twitter—one about the government shutdown and the other about President Obama's health care law, the landmark legislation at the heart of the Congressional impasse that triggered the shutdown.

Which federal data sources are, aren't and may be affected by the government shutdown.

The estimated cost of the two federal government shutdowns in fiscal 1996 was more than $1.4 billion ($2.1 billion in today's dollars).

As the government faces its first shutdown since 1995-1996, the standoff between the Obama administration and Republicans over the federal budget is occurring in a different public opinion environment than when President Bill Clinton faced off with the GOP-controlled House.

The 1995-1996 government shutdowns didn’t help the GOP’s image, but the party had lost support among the public well before they happened.