Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., right, speaks to reporters after a Republican strategy meeting at the Capitol in Washington, March 8, 2022. Scott is barely halfway through his first term, but he’s already leaning into a fight against his own party’s leadership. Scott is navigating a delicate alliance with former President Donald Trump and pushing a handcrafted governing agenda that many Republicans reject.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) on Sunday said the Biden administration has been slow to react to economic issues and rising inflation, calling it a political failure that could hinder Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.
“The president is slow to react — whether it’s the border, whether’ it’s inflation, whether it’s gas prices — even Ukraine,” Scott told CBS host Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation.”
“The election this fall is going to be about inflation, it’s going to be about the effectiveness of the Biden administration, and I think it will bode well for Republicans.”
Inflation hit a 40-year high in March and has remained near those levels throughout the spring, while gas prices have also continued to climb. Polls show that Biden’s job approval ratings on average remain below 40 percent, with Americans dinging the president primarily on what they is his poor handling of the economy.
A new CBS poll conducted from May 18 to May 20 shows 69 percent of Americans believe the economy is “bad,” up from 46 percent in the spring.
Scott proposed some inflation-combating measures on Sunday, repeating his frequent calls to “decouple” from trade with China and create more jobs on American soil.
“We’ve got to get American manufacturing back,” he said. “When we do that … our wages will go up, we’ll have more jobs in this country.”
The Florida senator also said Republicans have a consistent message on how to bring down inflation, which will bolster them in the November elections. GOP candidates are discussing pragmatic measures like balancing budgets and watching government spending more closely, he added.
“We have to talk about the things we’re going to do to make it better for people,” Scott said.
