First Read - What Americans support (and don't support) in cutting the deficit
Republicans want to strictly cut government spending, while preserving all tax cuts and tax breaks.
President Obama, by contrast, favors a balanced approach -- some spending cuts, plus revenue increases and tax hikes.
But what about the American public? Back in February, at the very outset of this deficit/debt debate, our NBC/WSJ poll measured 26 different ways to reduce the deficit or to cut spending. The list runs from most acceptable to least acceptable.
-- Placing a surtax on federal income taxes for people earning over $1 million a year:
81% acceptable
-- Eliminating spending on so-called earmarks for special projects and specific areas of the country:
78% acceptable
-- Eliminating funding for weapons systems the Defense Department says are not necessary:
76% acceptable
-- Eliminating tax credits for the oil and gas industries:
74% acceptable
-- Phasing out the Bush tax cuts for families earning $250,000 or more per year:
68% acceptable
-- Freezing annual domestic spending at its current level for the next five years:
67% acceptable
-- Reducing Medicare and Social Security benefits for wealthier retirees:
62% acceptable
-- Gradually raising the Social Security retirement age to 69 by 2075:
56% acceptable
-- Cutting funding for the new health-care law so that parts of it will not be put into effect or enforced:
51% acceptable
-- Reducing agriculture subsidies or support to farmers and ranchers:
45% acceptable
-- Eliminating funding to Planned Parenthood for family planning and preventive health services:
45% acceptable
-- Gradually turning Medicare from a system in which the government pays for most beneficiaries' medical bills into a program in which seniors would receive government-assisted vouchers to purchase private insurance:
44% acceptable
Among the budget cuts:
Subsidies to build new nuclear power plants:
57% acceptable
Federal assistance to state governments:
52% acceptable
The Environmental Protection Agency:
51%
Transportation and infrastructure projects:
51%
Scientific and medical research:
48%
National defense:
46%
Unemployment insurance:
43%
Head Start:
41%
College student loans:
39%
Heating assistance to low-income families:
34%
Medicaid:
32%
Medicare:
23%
K-12 education:
22%
Social Security:
22%
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