4 Quotes From Tea Party Politicians on Abolishing the Federal Minimum Wage

As lawmakers stump on the need to increase the federal minimum wage, not all agree on the topic. The Pew Research Center shows that Tea Party Republicans are "far less likely" to be against the idea than other voters.

Here are four quotes from Tea Party lawmakers on the issue:

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1. "If your labor as an unskilled person just entering the workforce is worth say $7 an hour at a job and the minimum wage is $10, you have just been made permanently unemployable. That first rung of the economic ladder has been ripped out and you can't get on it. That is a tragedy." - Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) on C-SPAN January 2015.

2. "I have consistently opposed a federal wage mandate because I believe that it is bad policy. That is hurts the very people we are trying to help." - Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

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3. "Every one of these policies tonight makes it harder on those struggling to achieve the American Dream. And I think they are wrongheaded solutions that don't serve the best interests of the American people." - Sen. Ted Cruz commenting on President Obama's State of the Union proposals, including the suggestion that the federal minimum wage needs an increase, according to CNS News February 2013.

4. "The minimum wage is a temporary. It's a chance to get started. I see my son come home with his tips. And he's got cash in his hand and he's proud of himself. I don't want him to stop there. But he's working and he's understanding the value of work. We shouldn't disparage that." - Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY ), according to MSNBC.

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