House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is once again fighting for his political life as he tries to sell the debt ceiling deal that has many Republicans furious. It’s a moment that demands his very best talking points, and as one of them, he’s chosen to suggest that the deal would promote child labor.
We know this is a scripted talking point not just because it’s coming out of Kevin McCarthy’s mouth but because he said virtually the same words twice on Tuesday.
“In this family we may have a child, able-bodied, not married, no kids, but he’s sitting on the couch collecting welfare,” McCarthy said on Fox News Tuesday morning. “We’re going to put work requirements on that individual so he’s going to have work requirements, he’s going to get a job.”
Speaking to a group of reporters Tuesday afternoon, it was, “We might have a child that has no job, no dependents, but sitting on the couch. We’re going to encourage that person to get a job and have to go to work, which gives them worth and value.”
If you give McCarthy the benefit of the doubt, he may be talking about a person who has reached legal adulthood and is still living with their parents, referring to that person’s social role as the child of the head of the household they live in. Given that Republican lawmakers in several states are pushing to weaken child labor laws, though, with proposals such as allowing 14- and 15-year-olds to work later on school nights than federal law allows or to serve alcohol in bars, it’s not clear how much benefit of the doubt McCarthy deserves. If he’s not literally talking about work requirements for children here, his party is only a couple steps away from doing just that.