Sen. Rick Scott defends plan to expand income tax on 'those who decided not to work'

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott recently announced his plan to ‘Rescue America,’ laying out an 11-point plan which includes the recitation of the pledge of allegiance in schools, social security reform and the expansion of the income tax on "those who decided not to work."

Although Scott’s plan has met resistance on both sides of the isle – including from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – the Florida senator redoubled his case Wednesday for an income tax on those who have “figured out how to live off government” and said every American should pay what they can, “even if it’s just a dollar.”

“There’s a lot of people that could work and decided not to work because they’ve figured out how to live off government. And we have a bunch of people that are out there, they’re working hard and paying their income tax, their property tax, their sales tax. We have retirees that paid in. And it’s not fair that we have people that, you know, just want to live off government. We can’t do that,” Scott said in an interview on NewsNation’s “On Balance with Leland Vittert” Wednesday night.

After Scott was made to concede that not everyone could work and that many people rely on government benefits because they have no other alternative, the GOP lawmaker attempted to soften his message and offer reassurances.

“We need to have Medicare, we need to have Medicaid, we need to have Social Security,” words that no doubt will make people forget that his plan proposed a mechanism that many, including Sen. McConnell, interpreted as a pathway to sunsetting Medicare and Social Security.

Republicans, however, have voiced concerns over Scott’s plan – specifically about points number five and six which say the government must balance the budget and that all Americans must pay some level of income tax.

“Let me tell you what will not be a part of our agenda. We will not have a part of our agenda a bill that raises taxes on half of the American people and sunsets Social Security and Medicare within five years. That will not be part of the Senate majority agenda,” McConnell warned.