Half in new poll see no clear winner in debt ceiling battle

Half of respondents in a new poll said they see no clear winner in the debt ceiling battle between the two parties.

In a Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted in the days after Congress passed legislation to raise the debt limit, June 2-5, half of respondents said they did not see a clear winner between Republicans and Democrats. Meanwhile, 20 percent said they viewed both parties as the “winners,” while another 20 percent said Democrats won and 11 percent said Republicans won.

The bill was signed into law Saturday, a week after President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) struck a deal that raises the debt ceiling for two years while adding new spending caps during that same period. The deal prevented the United States from defaulting on its debt.

The survey indicated the majority of respondents were either satisfied with or neutral toward the outcome of the debt-limit agreement — at 38 percent and 37 percent, respectively — and only 25 percent of respondents said they were dissatisfied.

A partisan split emerged in the way Democrats and Republicans viewed the negotiations. Whereas Democrats surveyed largely approved of Biden and efforts of Democrats, Republicans were less enthusiastic about their own leader’s performance in the negotiations, and they were less satisfied with the final result.

Democrats largely approved of the outcome, while Republicans were split.

Of Democratic respondents, 61 percent were satisfied, 14 percent were dissatisfied and 26 percent were neutral. Of Republicans, 31 percent were satisfied, 35 percent were dissatisfied and 34 percent were neutral. Of independents, 18 percent were satisfied, 30 percent were dissatisfied and 51 percent were neutral.

Democrats largely approved of Biden’s handling of the negotiations, with 77 percent of Democrats approving, 16 percent disapproving and 7 percent saying they were not sure.

McCarthy, however, did not fare as well among respondents from his party. When asked about the Speaker’s handling of the negotiations, 44 percent of Republicans approved, 42 percent disapproved and 14 percent said they were unsure.

Independent respondents largely said they were either unsure or disapproved of both Biden’s and McCarthy’s handling of the negotiations.

Overall, fewer people offered a clear judgement of the way McCarthy handled the debt ceiling negotiations, with 34 percent approving, 44 percent disapproving and 23 percent saying they were unsure.

On Biden’s handling of the negotiations overall, 38 percent approved, 50 percent disapproved and 11 percent said they were not sure.

McCarthy has faced backlash from members of his conference in recent days since the debt ceiling bill was signed into law. Conservatives in the House, angered by the deal, have brought business in the lower chamber to a standstill.

The poll surveyed 1,004 U.S. adults throughout the country and had a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points for all respondents.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.