Poll: Americans disapprove of spending public funds to put on military parade in Washington

Nearly 2 in 3 U.S. adults — 64% — oppose the use of government funds for this weekend's military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the Army's 250th birthday, according to new data from the NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey

Nearly 2 in 3 U.S. adults — 64% — oppose the use of government funds for this weekend's military parade in Washington, D.C., celebrating the Army's 250th birthday, according to new data from the NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey.

Majorities of Democrats (88%) and independents (72%) oppose the use of government funds to put on the parade, while 65% of Republicans support it.

Spending public funds on the parade is more popular among supporters of the MAGA movement (75% support), compared to Republicans who identify more as supporters of the party itself (56% support).

People pause to look at a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter parked on the National Mall on Wednesday.Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesThe poll was conducted May 30-June 10 and surveyed 19,410 adults nationally, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.

The Saturday parade to celebrate the Army, which also falls on both Flag Day and President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, will include about 6,600 soldiers, 50 aircraft and 150 vehicles, according to defense officials. There will be different sections for different portions of the Army's history, and the event is expected to feature an air show with flyovers and a demonstration by the Army's Golden Knights parachute team. But it's not clear how possible storms forecast for Saturday in the Washington area could affect those plans.