Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) on Friday morning defended his remarks suggesting children receiving free lunch should have to work for it.
Kingston said on CNN’s “New Day” that his comments were not targeted at a particular economic group, and that he just wanted to discuss how to promote a strong work ethic for children.
“This was not an indictment on anybody in a particular socioeconomic group,” Kingston said. “This would be good for all children.”
{mosads}“I never did say ‘poor kids,’ ” he added.
Kingston also cited a handful of examples where schools required children to clean cafeteria tables or perform community service as a regular obligation.
In a video of a Jackson County Republican Party in Georgia, recently posted to YouTube, Kingston said free lunch recipients could “maybe sweep the floor of the cafeteria” or pay at least a few cents for their meals, in order to make clear that “there is, in fact, no such thing as a free lunch.”