public preferences for budget cuts

Once again, pollsters have discovered that foreign aid is the only federal program that a large number of Americans want to cut. The latest confirmation of this fact is in a new Pew poll.  I think these results explain why most members of Congress don't really want to propose substantial cuts. They would rather let an across the board cut -- same for everybody -- be done by a sequester, or let the opposition party take the blame for a list.

By suggesting that the March 1 cuts would lead to draconian results like fewer flights and food safety inspection,the Obama administration is trying to get the public outcry against the sequester that is almost equal to what may well come on March 27 when the government runs out of money pending a new law from Congress. That's a deadline with immediate consequences, unlike the sequester which can be applied over the next seven months.