USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Support for Big Government rises to record levels amid coronavirus crisis
In the era of coronavirus, Big Government is back.
Americans by double-digit margins say the federal government is doing too little – not too much – to deal with the health and economic repercussions of the deadly pandemic that has now infected more than one million people across the country, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds.
At least for now, concerns about an exploding federal deficit and possible government overreach have been overwhelmed by the imperative to address the moment. The appetite for an activist government is the highest it has been in decades, and it comes as Congress already has committed an unprecedented amount, nearly $3 trillion, in relief. Another emergency spending bill is in the works.
Gary Tidball, 52, a Republican from Overland Park, Kansas, who was called in the poll, has been relying on himself since he got his first job at age 16. But in recent days he has applied for unemployment benefits, Small Business Administration aid and a loan through the Paycheck Protection Program to help the security consulting firm he owns.
"I haven't ever taken a dime of assistance," he said. "Never in my life thought that I would have a need to do that, but I am glad that it was there."
He added: "This is something we've never, ever, ever had to deal with."
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