Voice of the People

22/05/2026

250 years in — are we living up to the promise?

As America approaches its 250th anniversary, a critical question looms — do "We the People" actually feel like we have a voice?

Join us on May 28 at 1:00 PM EDT for a virtual briefing where we release new national research findings on exactly that. We'll share what Americans across the political spectrum really think about whether we're fulfilling the Founders' vision — and what the data reveals about the state of our democracy today.

This briefing is hosted by the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy (Civic Innovation Center & Program for Public Consultation) in partnership with Voice of the People.

Register for the webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_cAfoP9v7RumTnitvoNBAPw

22/05/2026

House Republicans pulled a planned vote on a resolution to end the Iran war after struggling to secure enough support to defeat it.
However, a bipartisan 58% favors requiring approval from Congress to continue military operations beyond 60 days. (R: 53%, D:62%)

Republicans struggled Thursday to find the votes to dismiss legislation that would compel President Donald Trump to withdraw from the war with Iran, delaying planned votes on the matter into June.

20/05/2026

The Senate has advanced a bill aimed at ending the Iran war, as more Republicans have signaled discomfort with the conflict continuing.

PPC data show 58% favor requiring Congressional approval to continue military operations beyond 60 days. (Rs: 53% and Ds: 62%)

The Senate has advanced legislation that seeks to force President Donald Trump to withdraw from the Iran war.

19/05/2026

Check out this mention of Program for Public Consultation in Moneywise, highlighting broad bipartisan support for banning congressional stock trading. 72% support banning stock trading for Members and their family members. (R:71%, D:78%)

https://publicconsultation.org/swing-six/stock-trading/

https://moneywise.com/investing/stocks/insider-trading-congress-speaker-mike-johnson

Moneywise is a digital personal finance publication with a mission to create valuable content that helps people make good decisions and get ahead.

14/05/2026

A Senate resolution ending the war in Iran fell short on Wednesday, though many have voiced concerns on the issue.
58% of Americans favor requiring the President to get the approval of a simple majority of Congress to continue military operations for longer than 60 days.

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5876248-senate-vote-war-powers-iran/

For more on Presidential Powers: https://vop.org/commonground/about-2/presidential-powers/

Three Republican senators broke with their leadership Wednesday and voted to advance a Democratic-sponsored resolution under the 1973 War Powers Act to halt the conflict with Iran unless Congress f…

13/05/2026

As Washington debates whether the U.S. needs an “FDA for AI,” Americans are already signaling strong support for oversight. PPC polling found 74% favor creating a federal AI agency and 81% support pre-testing high-impact AI systems before public use.

https://www.axios.com/2026/05/13/ai-executive-action-white-house-infighting

For more on Artificial Intelligence: https://vop.org/commonground-2-2/artificial-intelligence/

Artificial Intelligence Over the last few years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology has advanced rapidly, and its usage throughout society has greatly increased. Developments in AI have brought numerous benefits, as well as many concerns about the effects of its current usage, and future potent...

12/05/2026

Congress is debating new housing legislation, including limiting large institutional investors’ ownership of single-family homes.

PPC data shows 67% support requiring large corporations to sell their single-family housing, townhouses and duplexes within ten years.

President Trump on Monday urged the House to pass a sweeping housing affordability bill that has stalled in the lower chamber amid divisions over certain provisions, including a ban on large instit…

11/05/2026

WWTPD? Majorities of Americans want the U.S. to recommit to climate initiatives. 70% support committing to the Paris Agreement. 76% oppose increasing offshore oil drilling. More on energy and environment here: www.vop.org/common-ground/

08/05/2026

A federal trade court ruled President Trump’s across-the-board tariffs illegal. Americans favor a different path: 68% prefer low mutual tariffs based on agreed-upon rules, including 60% of Rs and 77% of Ds.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/business/economy/trump-global-tariff-ruled-illegal.html?unlocked_article_code=1.g1A.HpQA.BaM7habqolkU&smid=url-share

For more on international trade: https://vop.org/ear-to-the-people-5/

07/05/2026

As administration officials discuss a possible ICE surge in New York, PPC data shows 73% of Americans do not support mass deportation, including 58% of Rs. Majorities instead supported a legal pathway to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/05/trump-border-czar-threatens-ice-surge-if-new-york-approves-sanctuary-measures-00906830

For Mass Deportation public opinion analysis, check out our Ear to the People: https://vop.org/ear-to-the-people-4-1/

Gov. Kathy Hochul decried the remarks, saying they are at odds with what the president told her earlier this year.

06/05/2026

Administration officials say “mass deportations are coming,” even as PPC research finds 73% of Americans did not support mass deportation, including 58% of Republicans. A majority of 58% instead favored a pathway to citizenship for long-term undocumented immigrants.

https://www.cnn.com/2026/05/05/politics/tom-homan-border-security-deportations

Read public opinion analysis here: https://vop.org/ear-to-the-people-4-1/

White House border czar Tom Homan on Tuesday brushed off critics within President Donald Trump’s base who say the administration is not deporting enough people, while vowing to “flood the zone” with immigration officers in jurisdictions which pass legislation limiting cooperation with federal ...