Gillum: Florida would tax corporations, join other states to pay for Medicare for all

Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum (D) said Sunday that he would increase taxes on corporations in the state to help fund his plan to provide Medicare for all.

Gillum was pressed on CNN’s “State of the Union” about his pledge to provide medical care for everyone in his state, including how he would pay for it.

“I don’t buy that,” Gillum said when asked if higher taxes are a prerequisite of Medicare for all. “I will absolutely not raise taxes on everyday working Floridians.”

{mosads}The Democrat said he would look to increase taxes on corporations instead, arguing that only 3 percent of companies in the state pay a corporate tax rate.

Gillum stressed that such a plan would require Florida to team up with other states to form a coalition to negotiate pricing and coverage.

“The state of Florida could not take this road by itself,” Gillum added.

Progressive Democrats have promoted the concept of Medicare for all, while Republicans have seized on a recent George Mason University study that found such a proposal would cost $32 trillion over 10 years.

Gillum secured the Democratic nomination for the governor’s race in a surprise victory last week. He will face Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), who won the Republican nod and has secured President Trump’s backing.

Trump issued a tweet last week attacking Gillum as a “failed Socialist Mayor.”

Not only did Congressman Ron DeSantis easily win the Republican Primary, but his opponent in November is his biggest dream….a failed Socialist Mayor named Andrew Gillum who has allowed crime & many other problems to flourish in his city. This is not what Florida wants or needs!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2018

Gillum pushed back Sunday against Trump’s charges, arguing that crime in Tallahassee, where he is mayor, is at a five-year low.

He also explained that, while he doesn’t want to undermine the work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he believes Trump has turned the agency into a “deportation and family separation force.”

Florida governor candidate Andrew Gillum says the Trump administration has made ICE into a “deportation and family separation force” #CNNSOTU pic.twitter.com/8mB1Mn1Gh1

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) September 2, 2018