Poll: Cut federal spending — but not big-ticket programs

By JOSH BOAK and HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the federal budget standoff, the majority of U.S. adults are asking lawmakers to pull off the impossible: Cut the overall size of government, but also devote more money to the most popular and expensive programs. Six in 10 U.S. adults say the government spends too much money, but majorities also favor more funding for things like infrastructure, health care and Social Security. The findings from a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research suggest efforts to shrink the government may be politically risky ahead of the 2024 elections.