By Leah Askarinam and Linley Sanders
Washington (AP) –
While elected Republican officials have touted the recent tax and spending bills as a victory for working Americans, new research shows that Americans see it as a victory for wealthy people.
About two-thirds of US adults expect the new tax law to help the rich, according to a poll from the Associated Press Center for Public Affairs. Most – about six in ten minutes – think they can hurt low-income people more than helping them. About half say it does more harm than good for middle class people and people like them.
Republicans have already begun airing ads that framble the law as tax cuts for all Americans, highlighting tips and new deductions on overtime income. But Democrats claim that the wealthiest Americans will benefit from the law, citing cuts in Medicaid and food aid programs.
New polls show that Republicans are still trying to do. High price tags could be turning off some Americans. Trump’s approval rate for government spending has been falling since the spring, with around six in 10 US adults across the political spectrum thinking the government is spending “too much,” according to a new study.
Americans see little benefit for low-income and middle-class people.
According to polls, most people have at least heard something about the new law. This found that about two-thirds of American adults read and read “many” or “parts.”
Those who know anything about the law are more likely to believe they support wealthy people compared to those who hear “just a little” or “nothing.”
Ania Burrow, a 25-year-old single mother from North Carolina, doesn’t identify with political parties, but she says she’s worried that the new law will hurt caregivers like her. Barrow – juggling work, caring for two young children and pursuing degrees – is worried about losing access to day care and food stamps.
“It really does have a huge effect,” Barrow said of the recently passed law. “It may not be that big now, but it will have an effect in the long run. It will be bad.”
Even many Republicans agree that wealthy people are more likely to benefit from tax and spending laws. About half say the law does more to help the wealthy. A similar proportion says this about middle-class people, but about four in ten Republicans think it’s more useful than hurting low-income people.
Lori Nichols, a 51-year-old caregiver for older mothers in Illinois, said the law was “a little for the elderly and disabled.” Nichols is a Republican, but she said she didn’t vote in the 2024 presidential election and voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
“As far as the tax portion is concerned, it seems like it’s making[Trump’s]richer people richer,” Nichols said.
Republicans are unlikely to think they will be harmed
Despite the overall sense that wealthy people will become major beneficiaries, Democrats and independents are far more likely than Republicans.
Nathan Hay, the shift services manager for an international truck repair dealer, said low-income earners believe their taxes are “a slight increase” but still support the bill. “Personally, that’s not helping me,” Hay said, but he believes it helps small businesses, the staple food of his own life and his family.
About half of Republicans hope the law will do more to support “people like you.”
“I’m not a tax accountant, but it sounds more beneficial than (people) at higher tax levels,” said Geraldine Putnam, 87, a Trump voter who lives in the countryside south.
“It’s not about wanting to take away the incentives to be wealthier. That’s America’s dream,” Putnam said.
But she also believes she will pay more in taxes. “I’m sure he thinks he’s right what he’s doing,” she said of Trump. “That’s the extreme method he uses.”
Trump’s approval of government spending
A large price tag in the law may take into account some American ratings in the law. Polls found that they are unlikely to approve how Trump has handled government spending since the spring.
Just 38% of Americans have approved how Donald Trump handles government spending, compared to 46% of AP-NORC public opinion in March.
Republicans are unlikely to say the government is saying “too much” than Joe Biden was president in March 2023, but they believe that about six in 10 people are still spending too much. Similar Democrats say the same thing.
Now a retired person, Putnam has problems with Trump’s federal workers cuts, despite his approval to approve “they can reap people who are not actually doing their jobs.”
The way she sees it, Trump turns his attention to people who abuse social services and then “dismisses people in the office” who is investigating the fraud and abuse. “What does that mean?” she asked.
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The AP-NORC vote for 1,437 adults was conducted from July 10-14 using samples drawn from Norc’s probability-based Amerispeak panel designed to represent the US population. The margin for sampling errors across adults is either positive or negative 3.6 percentage points.
Original issue: July 18th, 2025, 7:08am EDT
