Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) incorrectly stated that “welders make more money than philosophers” during Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate.
Rubio was asked what he would “take back” that Democratic presidential candidates offered voters in government-paid benefits during their own debate. In response, he called raising the minimum wage a “disaster” and instead proposed making “higher education faster and easier to access, especially vocational training.”
“For the life of me I don’t know why we have stigmatized vocational education,” Rubio said. “Welders make more money than philosophers. We need more welders and less philosophers.”
But data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics disprove that statement.
Postsecondary philosophy and religion teachers earn an average annual wage of $71,350 while welders pocket $40,040 annually, according to the agency’s May 2014 survey.
