The Heritage Foundation Taxpayer Ballot on Critical Spending Cuts

Taxpayer Ballot on Critical Spending Cuts

Government spending is out of control. To avoid financial ruin, Americans must make their voices heard and demand commonsense spending cuts.

To help build pressure for the removal of government waste, the non-profit, non-partisan Heritage Foundation is conducting this official Taxpayer Ballot on Critical Spending Cuts.

Heritage will anonymously publicize the final results of this nationwide ballot to policymakers and the public. The final tally will be used as a “wake up call” to all who need to hear it: That Americans voted for change in 2024 and want to see the spending cuts we were promised.

Please complete your ballot below:

H-W-2510-Taxpayer Ballot

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1. The federal government spent $6.75 trillion in 2024 — an increase of over 50 percent since 2019. In general, do you think Washington is spending too much money?
2. To finance their spending hikes, policymakers are piling up enormous deficits. In 2024 the federal government posted a $1.8 trillion budget deficit. Do you believe such a large deficit is fiscally responsible?
3. After years of unchecked spending, America now faces a national debt of $37 trillion. That’s more than $323,000 per U.S. taxpayer. Are you concerned that such a crippling debt could destroy our country if we don’t change course?
4. It’s estimated that the federal government loses at least $521 billion each year to waste, fraud, incompetence and abuse. Do you want to see more accountability for how Washington spends your tax dollars?
5. The previous administration used your tax dollars to extend lavish grants to leftist causes, including a $45 million “diversity and inclusion” scholarship in Burma and a campaign to fight “disinformation” led by an anti-Israel group. Do you agree that your tax dollars should not be used to bankroll the Left?
6. Members of Congress spent $14.6 billion on over 8,000 pork-barrel “earmarks” in 2024, including corporate welfare, local pet projects, and handouts for leftist activist groups. Do you think this is an appropriate use of your tax dollars?
7. The Department of Education has received over $2.5 trillion from taxpayers since its founding in 1979. After all this spending, K-12 students are learning less while college tuition has skyrocketed. Do you support abolishing federal agencies like the Department of Education that are ineffective and make life worse for Americans?
8. Are you concerned that Washington’s wasteful spending threatens our ability to sustain truly important programs such as Social Security and Medicare?
9. The Heritage Foundation believes that harmful agendas like DEI, critical race theory, and radical gender ideology have no place in our government and should not be funded with our tax dollars. Do you agree?
10. Since being launched by President Trump, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has saved taxpayers an estimated $175 billion by weeding out waste, fraud, and abuse in Washington. Do you think these DOGE cuts should be made permanent?
11. Would you say that media outlets such as NPR and PBS, which are viewed as propaganda machines for the Left, should not receive taxpayer funding?
12. Heritage is emphasizing the need to make sure that illegal immigrants do not receive taxpayer-funded benefits such as Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security or welfare. Does this seem to you like a sensible way to save taxpayers money?