Will wealthy benefit most from Trump budget? What Americans said in new poll

Miami Herald

2 days ago

A majority of Americans have major concerns about President Donald Trump's budget, which is in the final stages of congressional approval, according to new polling.
In a July 1-2 YouGov survey, most respondents said they oppose the bill, saying it will mainly benefit the nation's wealthy. More respondents than not also believe it will increase the federal budget deficit.
The poll comes after the Senate voted 51-50 to pass the legislation, dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill,' on July 1, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.
The House — which initially passed the bill in May — is now poised to hold a final vote before a self-imposed July 4 deadline.
The major piece of legislation would enact sweeping changes, including making most of Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent and eliminating federal taxes on tips and overtime pay. It also allocates billions of dollars toward the Pentagon, immigration enforcement and for the construction of a border wall.
Meanwhile, it reduces spending on Medicaid, clean energy initiatives and food assistance programs.
Here is a breakdown of the findings from the poll.
Support or oppose?
In the survey, which sampled 9,197 U.S. adults, 53% of respondents said they either strongly or somewhat oppose the budget, while 32% said they strongly or somewhat support it.
Most Democrats and independents — 86% and 55%, respectively — said they're against the bill, while 76% of Republicans are in favor.
This partisan split largely mirrors the current divide in Congress, as only House and Senate Republicans have voted in favor of the bill.
'Republicans were elected to do exactly what this bill achieves: secure the border, make tax cuts permanent, unleash American energy dominance, restore peace through strength, cut wasteful spending, and return to a government that puts Americans first,' House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X.
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries decried the budget, calling it 'an immoral document' in a speech on the House floor. 'Everybody should vote no against it because of how it attacks children and seniors and everyday Americans and people with disabilities.'
Who benefits?
The majority of respondents, 57%, said they believe the spending bill will mostly benefit wealthy Americans, while 20% said it will primarily help the middle class. Just 3% said they think the legislation will mainly help the poor.
Here, again, there was a major partisan divide. Most Democrats and independents — 87% and 58%, respectively — believe it will mostly help rich Americans. In contrast, a plurality of Republicans, 47%, said it will primarily benefit the middle class.
In a recent analysis, the Congressional Budget Office, a non-partisan government agency, found that the legislation 'would cost the poorest Americans roughly $1,600 a year while increasing the income of the wealthiest households by an average of $12,000 annually,' according to the Associated Press.
Republicans have disputed the CBO's analysis, saying it does not take into account the effect tax cuts have on economic growth.
Effect on the deficit
In the poll — which has a margin of error of 1.3 percentage points — 50% of respondents said the bill would increase the federal budget deficit. Just 16% said it will decrease the deficit, and 12% said it will not have a major effect.
The vast majority of Democrats, 73%, and 50% of independents said they believe the budget will raise the deficit — which is the amount by which annual spending exceeds revenue intake. A plurality of Republicans, 33%, said it will lead to a deficit decrease.
According to the CBO, the latest version of the budget bill would indeed increase the budget deficit by $3.3 trillion over the next decade, Axios reported.
Top Republicans have disputed or downplayed this assessment.
'The thing that will bankrupt this country more than any other policy is flooding the country with illegal immigration and then giving those migrants generous benefits,' Vance wrote in a post on X, adding that the CBO's score 'is immaterial compared to the ICE money and immigration enforcement provisions.'
Democrats, meanwhile, have seized on the projection.
In a statement, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said, 'Congressional Republicans betrayed the American people, passing a bill that will raise our debt by $4 trillion.' She added it will 'kick millions (of) people off their health care, close more than 300 rural hospitals and 500 nursing homes, and raise grocery prices for 40 million people — all to pay for tax cuts for the richest Americans.'