Alaska's Joe Miller Wants to Abolish Federal Minimum Wage

Oct. 4, 2010— -- Alaska's Joe Miller now has the solid support of the Republican establishment, but in an exclusive interview with ABC News, he makes it clear he's determined to shake-up Washington and the Republican party -- in a big way.

"We aren't going there to play ball, we're going to make sure things get done," Miller said in wide-ranging interview with Politico's Mike Allen and me over lunch at the Capitol Hill restaurant, We The Pizza. Miller wants to roll back the power and size of the federal government to a degree not seen for 70 years or more.

We asked him, for example, if there should be a federally mandated minimum wage, something that has existed since Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938.

"That is clearly up to the states," Miller said. "The state of Alaska has a minimum wage which is higher than the federal level because our state leaders have made that determination. The minimum level again should be the state's decision."

So there should not be a federal minimum wage?

"There should not be," Miller answered. "That is not within the scope of the powers that are given to the federal government."