Context:

A recent poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center reveals a broad consensus among U.S. adults against the notion that the government is overspending on programs targeted by Republican cuts, such as Medicaid and food stamps. The majority of Americans support maintaining or increasing funding for safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare, though opinions on military and border security spending remain divided. Notably, a significant portion of the population perceives Medicaid and food assistance programs as underfunded, with only a minority believing these programs receive excessive funding. Republicans are more likely than Democrats and independents to perceive that too much money is being spent on food and nutrition assistance programs. There is widespread agreement, however, that foreign aid is overfunded, reflecting a partisan divide where Republicans are more inclined to view foreign aid spending as excessive compared to Democrats.

Dive Deeper:

• The AP-NORC poll indicates that most Americans do not believe the government overspends on programs like Medicaid and food stamps, which Republicans in Congress are aiming to cut, suggesting a disconnect between public sentiment and Republican policy agendas.

• A significant portion of U.S. adults believe Medicaid and food assistance programs are underfunded, with roughly half saying 'too little' money is allocated to these programs, indicating a general reluctance among the public to see cuts in funding.

• On military and border security spending, Americans are divided, with approximately one-third believing 'too much' is spent on the military, and a similar proportion thinking the spending is appropriate, while opinions on border security have shifted since Trump took office.

• The survey shows most Americans support increasing or maintaining current funding levels for Social Security, Medicare, and education, with fewer Republicans than Democrats perceiving these areas as underfunded.

• Foreign aid is one area where there is more bipartisan agreement on overspending, as 56% of U.S. adults think the government spends too much on aid to other countries, though this is a decrease from earlier in the year.

• Republicans are considerably more likely than Democrats to consider foreign aid spending excessive, with approximately 8 in 10 Republicans holding this view compared to about one-third of Democrats.

• The poll, which surveyed 1,158 adults, was conducted with a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points, underscoring the representative nature of the findings within the U.S. population.