Gov. Chris Christie says he's tired of talk about raising the minimum wage.
Speaking in front of a Washington, D.C., audience on Tuesday, New Jersey's Republican governor criticized President Obama for his recent attention to the issue, which has become a major focus in many midterm election campaigns.
"I gotta tell you the truth, I'm tired of hearing about the minimum wage. I really am," Christie said during a keynote address at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform's annual legal reform summit, according to video of the remarks posted online by the left-leaning American Bridge 21st Century PAC.
"I don't think there's a mother or a father sitting around a kitchen table tonight in America who are saying 'You know honey, if our son or daughter could just make a higher minimum wage, my God, all our dreams would be realized,'" he added. "Is that what parents aspire to for their children? They aspire to a greater, growing America where their children have the ability to make much more money and have much greater success than they've had. And that's not about a higher minimum wage, everybody."
Christie's comments sparked criticism on social media and from the Democratic National Committee, which mocked the Republican governor in an email that focused on his $175,000 annual salary. Christie vetoed legislation in 2013 that would have upped New Jersey's minimum wage, but voters approved a constitutional amendment later that year.
In his speech, Christie, a potential presidential candidate who has been campaigning across the country in his role as chair of the Republican Governors Association, also touted the benefits of electing Republican governors — including helping to pave the way for a GOP presidential victor in 2016.
"(W)hat would you rather have if you're a Republican candidate and the nominee for president?" he asked, before running through a list of Republican and Democratic candidates. "Fact is if you're just a pragmatist and you don't really care about what happens in the states, you're going to care about who's running those states in November of 2016, what kind of political apparatus they set up and what kind of governmental apparatus they set up to ensure a full and fair election in 2016."
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He also chided lawmakers for complaining about gridlock, insisting, "No more excuses for not getting things done."
Christie also had stops scheduled in Maryland, Illinois and Michigan.
