As Republicans talk with President Joe Biden about a potential deal on a new stimulus package, don’t count U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., among those willing to make a deal.
Florida’s junior senator is blasting what is being proposed by the president and U.S. House leadership as too much.
“Biden is following directly in the footsteps of failed politicians Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer by pushing policies like bailouts for wasteful, liberal states,” Scott said, adding “a national $15 minimum wage mandate that will kill our small businesses, and more stimulus checks without accountability or eligibility measures for Americans who haven’t lost their jobs.”
Scott continues to harp on money to help state and local governments deal with the pandemic.
“States can moderate their economic harm through reasoned, balanced measures that protect citizens without destroying their economies,” Scott said before taking aim at Democratic in the Empire State. “New York’s economy is still shut down, and its budget shortfalls are because De Blasio and Cuomo have continued to waste money and failed to prioritize their struggling constituents. It is irresponsible for Biden and Schumer to expect Florida and the rest of the country to pay for the failures of their friends in New York.”
Scott wants to focus his energy on more modest goals, like making sure there is enough PPE manufactured in the U.S. to protect its citizens during the pandemic. Scott is also looking back at previous efforts. His staff emailed Florida Daily on what has already happened.
“Congress has already allocated more than $4.5 trillion to address this crisis, and it’s still unclear how much money is unspent from previous coronavirus relief packages; including the nearly $1 trillion package that was just passed in December. The United States is more than $27 trillion in debt – we have to start getting serious about how we’re spending taxpayer dollars and make sure every dollar spent is spent responsibly and accountable to Americans. Senator Scott will continue fighting for targeted relief that provides needed assistance to Americans hit hardest by this pandemic in a fiscally responsible way,” Scott’s office informed Florida Daily.
Scott also wants payroll tax exemptions for workers hired during the recovery and no capital gains taxes for certain small businesses. His opposition should come as little surprise to the White House. Scott did not vote in favor of either of the previous stimulus bills. He cast a no vote in December for a package that included $600 checks for most taxpayers, and did not vote either way on the original stimulus package passed in March.
On the political front, Scott will have his hands full in the coming year trying to help Republicans retake the U.S. Senate. He now heads the National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) and will be in charge of raising money for the organization AND trying to reverse major gains by Democrats in the upper chamber.
In 2022, 34 total seats will be up for with 20 of those seats held by Republicans. That includes U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who is up for a third term.
Reach Mike Synan at mike.synan@floridadaily.com.
- Donald Trump Sketches Out a Vision for the GOP’s Future - March 5, 2021, 10:00 pm
- Anna Eskamani Takes Aim at Corporations as Session Starts in Tallahassee - March 3, 2021, 10:00 pm
- Ron DeSantis Takes a Bow in the State of the State Address - March 2, 2021, 4:58 pm
As a centrist democrat, I tend to side with Republicans on this issue. Yes, everyone deserves to be above the poverty level and so on paper, this seems like the “right thing”. The outcome though will result in employers choosing to hire fewer people, because they will not be able to pay the minimum to every worker. I would rather someone who is looking for a job be able to find SOME income, than have fewer jobs available because so many cannot meet the threshold. They can choose whether or not to accept the low wage. The Biden initiative, while well intentioned, will only positively impact those who works for large corporations (and yes, Disney, you are on that list). The vast majority of jobs come from small independent businesses, who will have to find more ways to reduce staff to funnel the remaining funds into the $15+ wage workers.