Fight for $15? Rick Scott says no, despite Florida voters saying yes

Sen. Rick Scott. Image via AP.

Just over 60% of Florida voters supported a $15 minimum wage in the state last November, but a U.S. Senator says they’re wrong.

That’s the takeaway from Sen. Rick Scott‘s Monday evening statement, where he railed against a proposal from Congressional Democrats that would make a $15 wage the law of the land as part of COVID-19 relief.

“I spent my life in business, and I know what it’s like to have to make payroll and make the tough choices to succeed,” Scott said.

The Senator is a former health care magnate who in 2018 was estimated to be worth roughly a quarter billion dollars.

“President (Joe) Biden continues to push his job-killing agenda, including a $15 minimum wage, despite all evidence showing that it will devastate our economy and small businesses. Just last week, Senate Democrats overwhelmingly joined Republicans in voting against raising the national minimum wage to $15 during the pandemic. We know that enacting a $15 minimum wage now would be catastrophic for small businesses and the jobs they provide families and now we have data showing its impacts would stretch far beyond our battle against COVID-19,” Scott asserted, saying that a wage hike would be a debt booster and job killer.

“A new report from the CBO confirms that raising the minimum wage to $15 will increase the national debt by $70 billion and eliminate 1.4 million jobs. That is unacceptable. Instead of making every attempt to kill the American Dream and destroy small businesses, Democrats should work on creating a strong economy so every family has the opportunity to succeed.”

The Congressional Budget Office report notes that more than $10 years, a wage hike could add $54 billion combined to the deficit over the next decade. To put that in perspective, FY 2020 saw a budget deficit of $3.1 trillion.

While the Washington proposal has yet to become law, Florida’s minimum wage will see step raises, finally making it to $15 by 2026.