President Joe Biden’s mantra has been “go big or go home.” Biden has proposed spending trillions of dollars on COVID relief, infrastructure, and new social programs. On the heels of the pandemic, it appeared that Biden and his fellow Democrats had a window of opportunity to dramatically expand the size and role of the federal government. They saw a chance to cut a 21st century New Deal.

Not so fast. A recent Gallup Poll shows that, at least for the public, the big government window is now closed. As far as the public is concerned, it’s time for the government to recede from its emergency footing and return to a more limited and traditional role.