McConnell blasts Rick Scott’s plan to raise taxes as Florida senator walks away
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell Tuesday publicly lambasted Sen. Rick Scott’s proposal to raise income taxes on more than half of Americans, in the clearest example yet of a growing rift between the two Republican leaders.
Scott chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the party’s main campaign arm for Senate races. He set off a wave of concern among fellow Republicans last week when he released a plan to “rescue America,” which included an income tax increase for low- and middle-income earners among other potential controversial measures.
The proposal has already fueled attack ads against Republican candidates, including in Florida, where Democratic Rep. Val Demings launched a TV ad Monday tying Sen. Marco Rubio to Scott’s plan.
At Tuesday’s GOP leadership conference, Scott walked away from the podium just as reporters began to ask questions about his plan. McConnell, who has led the party in the Senate since 2007, disavowed and rebuked the plan.
“Well, Sen. Scott is behind me, and he can address the issue of his particular measure,” McConnell said, apparently unaware that the Florida senator had just walked away seconds before.
“If we’re fortunate enough to have the majority next year, I’ll be the majority leader. I’ll decide in consultation with my members what to put on the floor,” McConnell said. “Let me tell you what will not be on our agenda. We will not have as part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be part of the Republican Senate majority agenda.”
The public rebuke of the plan followed a report from Politico that McConnell gave Scott an earful at a Republican leadership meeting the day before about the plan giving Democrats a tool to use against Republicans in the November election.
Scott issued a statement hours later that defended his plan and also jabbed McConnell for not unveiling a broader GOP agenda.
“I agree with Senator McConnell that this election will primarily be about Joe Biden and the Democrats’ failures, but have been clear that I also believe Republicans should talk about a plan for turning this country around,” Scott said in the statement. “I’m a business guy and I’ve always believed in making plans in order to get things done. Republicans, and really all Americans outside of Washington, are demanding it. I will continue talking about my plan to rescue America from these radical Democrats.”
Scott’s spokesman Chris Hartline added that Scott walked away from the news conference to deliver a speech on Ukraine.
A potential rival to McConnell?
Scott’s release of the plan fueled speculation of future presidential ambitions or a potential leadership challenge against McConnell, but it comes after weeks of noticeable contrast between McConnell and Scott at the daily GOP news conferences.
The Florida senator has regularly referenced former President Donald Trump and promoted issues important to the former president at a time when Trump has been feuding with McConnell, whom the former president has nicknamed “the Old Crow.” McConnell, on the other hand, routinely shifts the conversation to President Joe Biden whenever asked about Trump.
Politico reported last week that Trump has encouraged Scott to challenge McConnell for Senate GOP leadership, which would be an extraordinary move for a senator still in his first term in office.
Asked last month whether he and McConnell disagreed about the role Trump should play in Senate races, Scott dismissed the idea of tension between him and McConnell but affirmed his desire for Trump’s help.
“As you know, I have a very good working relationship with the minority leader,” Scott told the Herald at the time.
“But my approach is to get everybody’s help because everybody wants to be helpful.”
The White House and Democratic candidates have found the release of Scott’s plan helpful as it has gifted Biden’s allies with a new economic message at a time they’ve been grappling with the fallout of rising costs due to inflation.
The White House communications team Monday highlighted an analysis from the Tax Policy Center that found Scott’s plan would result in an average tax increase of $900 for households making less than $27,000 a year and an average tax increase of $1,200 for households making between $27,000 and $54,000 a year.
“The impact of these tax policies would have disproportionate impacts on working-class families, with more than 80% of the tax increases imposed on families making $54,000 or less,” the White House release said.
Expect similar messaging in Senate races around the country. “Say no to the Rubio-Scott tax hike,” an ad from Demings’ campaign launched this week said, connecting Florida’s senior senator to Scott’s plan.
Scott sticks to his plan
Scott has disputed the idea that his plan would raise taxes on most Americans, saying in his Tuesday statement that “Democrats’ assertion that I want to raise taxes on working Americans or retirees is simply a lie. I do, however, want to have a conversation about able-bodied Americans who are living off of government programs instead of working, a reality caused by Democrat policies.”
However, the plain language of the document he released last week appears to call for a much more comprehensive tax increase. “All Americans should pay some income tax to have skin in the game, even if a small amount. Currently over half of Americans pay no income tax,” the plan states.
Scott’s plan has come up in other states, including North Carolina where GOP candidates were asked about Scott’s plan at a GOP primary debate.
Former U.S. Rep. Mark Walker endorsed Scott for GOP leader in the Senate during Saturday’s debate, but he said he opposed the tax provision of the plan.
“I think he needs to be the majority leader instead of Mitch McConnell,” Walker said. “Even though I approve of Sen. Rick Scott and some of the work that he’s doing, I’m not there to say that every single person should pay taxes.”
Former North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, another GOP candidate, said Scott and he were good friends. Their tenures as governor overlapped. But he disapproved of the tax plan.
“He was a great governor of Florida, and he’s a great U.S. senator at this point in time, but what we don’t need to do is talk about the need for more income taxes for anybody at this point in time,” said McCrory, who praised McConnell and backed him for leader.
McClatchy’s Alex Roarty and The News & Observer’s Brian Murphy contributed reporting.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 4:23 PM with the headline "McConnell blasts Rick Scott’s plan to raise taxes as Florida senator walks away."
