Over 80% of Americans support proposals to fund the repairs of roads, bridges, ports, and drinking water pipes, but support for most other infrastructure issues is split sharply along party lines, new polling shows.
President Joe Biden and a bipartisan Senate group compromised on a $973 billion infrastructure plan in June, but Democrats are working to pass a $3.5 trillion reconciliation package that allocates funding for child care, tax credits, schools, climate change, and more.
Many of those provisions are far less popular among Republicans, according to polling from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Opinion Research.
Biden’s approval on infrastructure overall stands at 55%, but has the support of just 22% of Republicans.
Support for repairing roads, bridges, and ports comes from 83% of Americans, while 79% support funding for new pipes or replacing lead ones that carry substantial health risks.
Three-quarters of all Americans surveyed—and 62% of Republicans—support funding for caregivers attending to elderly Americans, while two-thirds of Americans and nearly 60% of Republicans support funding the nation’s electric grid following more frequent extreme weather events.
Democrats and Republicans are more split on other provisions, the survey shows. While two-thirds of all Americans and 83% of Democrats support funding “free” preschool programs, just 47% of Republicans say the same.
The numbers are similar regarding affordable housing. While 85% of Democrats and 72% of independents support government funding for it, only 41% of Republicans agree.
Federal funding for broadband, local public transit, expanded child tax credits, and “free” community college all have over 70% support from Democrats, but just 44%, 42%, 34%, and 27% support from Republicans, respectively. All the issues received just over 50% support from Americans overall.
Democrats and Republicans also are divided on how to finance the plans. While 89% of Democrats want to raise taxes on corporations, just 43% of Republicans said the same.
That margin is similar when it comes to raising taxes on Americans themselves. While 84% of Democrats want to increase taxes on families making over $400,000 annually, just 40% of Republicans agree.
The survey, conducted July 15-19 among 1,307 adults, has a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
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