Story highlights
The Sun Sentinel -- which endorsed Rubio in 2010 -- said the senator is being paid $174,000 with taxpayer money to do a job he is not doing
Rubio told CNN Sunday that he's missed past votes because he's campaigning
Marco Rubio should resign from the U.S. Senate and stop “ripping off” the people of Florida, according to the Fort Lauderdale Sun Sentinel newspaper editorial board.
“By choosing to stay in the Senate and get the publicity, perks and pay that go with the position — without doing the work — you are taking advantage of us,” the paper wrote in an editorial published Tuesday. “Your job is to represent Floridians in the Senate. Either do your job, Sen. Rubio, or resign it.”
The Sun Sentinel – which endorsed Rubio in 2010 – said the senator is being paid $174,000 with taxpayer money to do a job he is not doing, while he is criticizing others for doing the same thing.
“Two weeks ago, you took to the Senate floor to excoriate federal workers at the Department of Veterans Affairs for failing to do their jobs. You said, ‘there is really no other job in the country where if you don’t do your job, you don’t get fired,’” the paper added. “With the exception of your job, right?”
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The Sun Sentinel also pointed to fellow Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who both are also running for president and reportedly missed just a fraction of the votes Rubio did. Rubio missed roughly one third of Senate votes this year.
Paul, speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper on “The Lead” Wednesday, subtly knocked Rubio’s voting record, though he didn’t refer to the Florida senator by name.
“I take my voting record very, very seriously, and I’ve made 99% of the votes,” Paul said.
Rubio’s campaign did not respond to a CNN request for the comment. But the editorial surfaced during Wednesday’s Republican debate, when Rubio’s former mentor and current 2016 rival, Jeb Bush, attacked him over it.
“Marco, when you signed up for this, this was a six-year term and you should be showing up to work,” Bush said. “What is this, like a French work week?”
Bush then delivered another punch: “Just resign and let someone else take the job.”
But Rubio fired back, saying Bush never took issue with Sen. John McCain missing votes when he was running for president.
“The only reason you’re doing it now is because we’re running for the same position,” the senator said.
Rubio told CNN Sunday that he’s missed past votes because he’s campaigning, but the editorial board said that’s an insufficient excuse.
“Sorry, senator, but Floridians sent you to Washington to do a job. We’ve got serious problems with clogged highways, eroding beaches, flat Social Security checks and people who want to shut down the government,” the paper wrote. “If you hate your job, senator, follow the honorable lead of House Speaker John Boehner and resign it.”
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CNN’s MJ Lee contributed to this report.
