Majority of Hispanic voters approve of Obama’s budget policy, poll finds

A majority of Hispanic voters approve of President Obama’s handling of the federal budget, according to a new poll. 

A poll released Thursday by Latino Decisions and the National Council of La Raza found 55 percent approve of the president’s handling of budget policy, while another 38 percent disapprove.

Other recent polling has shown Obama’s overall approval rating taking the steepest dive with Hispanics since his reelection. 

{mosads}Hispanic voters also approve, by 48 percent, of the job Democrats in Congress are doing on the budget. Another 42 percent disapprove. 

On the Republican end, only 27 percent of Hispanics approve of the GOP’s budget plans. Sixty-three percent disapprove. 

Budget negotiators Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) came to an agreement to extend government funding this week that would set a top-line budget number of just over $1 trillion in each of the next two years. 

The deal would also replace $63 billion in sequestration cuts over the next two years. 

The House is expected to vote on the bill later Thursday. The poll was taken earlier this month before the agreement was made. 

It is unsurprising that Hispanic voters have broken with Democrats. Obama won 71 percent of the Hispanic vote during last year’s presidential election. Mitt Romney won 27 percent of the vote, mirroring the number of Hispanics who approve of the GOP’s budget policy. 

Obama’s overall approval rating among Hispanics — the fastest growing demographic in the country — has plummeted this year, dropping 23 points since his election, according to Gallup. 

Gallup did find that 52 percent of Hispanics continue to approve of his overall job performance. 

The Latino Decisions poll Thursday also found that Hispanics rank creating jobs as the most important issue, with 56 percent rating it “extremely” important. 

A plurality of Hispanics, 38 percent, said it was more important to invest in infrastructure to boost the economy, while 25 percent said it is better to lower taxes. Another 29 percent recommended both. 

The poll surveyed 800 registered Hispanic voters and has a 3.5 percent margin or error.