New Jersey Senate candidate Steve Lonegan (R) told MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki on Saturday that single mothers don’t need to rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps, because his mother raised a family by working hard and building a successful career following the death of her husband.
“We never had to have SNAP, when I was a kid,” Lonegan said during an appearance on Up with Steve Kornacki. “Ok, so, this thing that every single mother is the poster child for the welfare state is nonsense… I know a lot of single moms go out to work and do very, very well for themselves.”
Lonegan, who is the former New Jersey head for the Koch Brothers’ Americans for Prosperity, encouraged single mothers to roll up their sleeves and go to work, adding that free market policies and less government will free “individuals to achieve their best potential.” Watch it:
Asked how he would help single mothers balance the demands of family and work, Lonegan advocated for “cutting the size of government across the board, freeing up businesses and cutting regulation.” He specifically proposed sunsetting regulations for the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, so that lawmakers could review their impact. “We need to start from scratch. That’s one step in the right direction,” he said.
SNAP is among the most efficient forms of economic stimulus, returning nearly two dollars in activity for each dollar the government spends. The program lifted 4.7 million people out of poverty in 2011 alone.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (R), widely viewed as a potential 2016 presidential contender, endorsed Lonegan last week and promised to stump for him in the days leading up to the special election in October.