The Hill News

President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the public's assessment of who's better handling the spending fights in Congress.

Half of Americans, in a CNN/Opinion Research poll released Thursday, said they prefer Obama's approach to reducing the deficit, compared to 42 percent who said they prefer Republicans' approach. Six percent said neither.

The poll, conducted last weekend before the killing of Osama bin Laden, comes as fiscal talks between Democrats and Republicans, led by Vice President Biden, are set to get underway on Thursday. Both sides have an eye toward the impending fight over raising the debt ceiling, a move that must be accompanied by spending reforms, per GOP demands.

Sixty percent of U.S. adults said they would oppose raising the debt ceiling, which some c! onservative Republicans in Congress have vowed to do. Thirty-seven percent favor raising the debt ceiling.

To that end, Americans seem to believe that Republicans are acting more irresponsibly than Obama in the debt ceiling fight.

Sixty percent of Americans said they think congressional Republicans have not acted responsibly in the debt ceiling fight, compared to 49 percent who say the same of Obama.

The poll, conducted April 29-May 1, has a three percent margin of error.