WASHINGTON: Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) said that he would be open to a “reasonable” federal minimum wage increase, further burnishing his reputation as the moderate in a crowded field of GOP presidential hopefuls.Following a luncheon with the Lansing Chamber of Commerce in Michigan, Kasich was asked by MLive what he thought about raising the minimum wage.
“Have it be reasonable, because you could have unintended consequences if you start imposing a high wage, which could actually lead to fast-food restaurants putting in kiosks and middle-management people being upset that they can’t get a raise,” he said.Kasich’s openness to raising the federal minimum wage at all separates him from many other Republicans seeking their party’s nomination. While Rick Santorum has expressed support for raising it, Jeb Bush has made the case for eliminating the federal minimum wage and leaving it to the states.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) has called the mere idea of the minimum wage “lame.” And Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) has previously said he doesn’t think “a minimum wage law works.”Kasich, however, seems to have accepted the fact that the federal minimum wage, which was originally set during the Great Depression and has been boosted repeatedly over time, doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Though he declined to endorse a particular number, he said officials need to be cautious and “realistic” when they do raise it.
