GOP Rep: Raising The Minimum Wage Is 'Not Right'

GOP Rep: Raising The Minimum Wage Is 'Not Right'

Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) said raising the minimum wage is "not right," claiming "it does more harm to our economy."

In a video posted by ThinkProgress Wednesday, Ross can be seen addressing a constituent's concerns about minimum wage at a public forum in Tampa.

"I think it would do more harm to our economy than anything," Ross said when asked if he supported President Barack Obama's efforts to raise the federal minimum wage.

Ross, who admitted in October 2013 it was "pride" that motivated Republicans during the government shutdown, said an increase in the minimum wage would increase "the cost of products, the cost of services."

"I'm not suggesting that we do away with the minimum wage, that's not it at all," Ross says in the video. "But the minimum wage is not a career wage. It's a wage to pay to make sure workers aren't taken advantage of by business owners. But if we're going to make it a living wage, who's going to pay for it?"

At that point, an audience member tells Ross he'd pay "20 cents extra for a hamburger" if it meant raising the minimum wage.

"If the government’s going to tell me how much I can get paid and when I can work and when I can’t work, then we have a serious problem in this country," Ross says later.

Watch the video above from ThinkProgress, and head over to their site for more.

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