WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Tax reform and immigration have moved into the spotlight in Washington, but a new poll suggests rank-and-file Republicans want GOP lawmakers to continue to focus on repealing and replacing Obamacare.
The Politico-Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health poll found that repealing and replacing Obamacare tops a list of ten domestic issues.
Fifty-three percent of Republicans said taking action to repeal and replace Obamacare should be an 'extremely important priority,' while another 26 percent said it should be a 'very important priority.'
Reducing the budget deficit and overall federal spending came in second on the list, with 36 percent of Republicans saying it should be an 'extremely important priority.'
Reducing federal taxes on individuals and businesses and increasing spending on national defense also ranked high on the list of Republican priorities.
However, the poll found that the issues topping the list of Republicans priorities are not seen as important by the general public as a whole.
Among the general public, just 26 percent said taking action to repeal and replace Obamacare should be an 'extremely important priority.'
The low ranking for repealing and replacing Obamacare partly reflects the fact that 60 percent of Democrats said it should not be a priority at all.
The top issues for the general public are taking action to lower prescription drug prices and raising the federal minimum wage.
Both issues also rank highly among Democrats, who also said investigating Russia's involvement in last year's election should be a priority.
The Politico-Harvard survey of 1,016 adults was conducted August 30th through September 3rd and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.
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