63 percent approve of COVID-19 relief bill: poll

Sixty-three percent of Americans approve of the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill signed into law earlier this month, according to a Gallup poll released Friday.

The nationwide survey found that the American Rescue Plan Act, signed by President Biden on March 11, was disproportionately popular among Democrats.

The measure also did not garner the same level of overall support as the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that former President Trump signed into law in late March 2020. That bill was backed by 77 percent of respondents in a separate Gallup poll.

Congress passed the CARES Act with overwhelming bipartisan support, whereas the American Rescue Plan arrived on Biden’s desk without any GOP votes.

Gallup found that 97 percent of Democrats support the American Rescue Plan, up from the 79 percent that supported the CARES Act.

However, only 18 percent of Republicans support the latest relief bill, compared with 79 percent of GOP respondents who approved of the CARES Act.

Similarly, 58 percent of independents support the American Rescue Plan, a decline from the 70 percent who backed the CARES Act.

Both measures provided stimulus checks for most Americans, though the American Rescue Plan had stricter income eligibility requirements for those receiving partial payments.

Democrats are hoping the American Rescue Plan will jump-start the economy and provide political and economic gains heading into the 2022 midterm elections. Republicans, meanwhile, have characterized the bill as consisting of liberal priorities that don’t address the coronavirus pandemic while also risking inflation.

The most recent Gallup poll found that the American Rescue Plan also has majority support from key demographic subgroups, including 69 percent of women, 77 percent of adults under 30 and 81 percent of nonwhite Americans.

Gallup surveyed 3,905 adults from March 15 to 21. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.