President Clinton has rolled out billions of dollars in new spending proposals, such as expanding Medicare, new subsidies for child care, and education and training for school teachers. But polls show Americans favor cutting taxes and reducing the deficit over new government spending.

A recent Gallup Poll published in USA Today found the following:

• About 40 percent supported spending for government programs such as Social Security, Medicare, schools and the environment.

• Thirty percent favored using any surplus to pay down the debt.

• Another 22 percent preferred cutting taxes.

Together, the poll showed 52 percent of Americans favor using any budget surplus to either cut taxes or reduce the U.S. deficit.