Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke about food stamps and said they help the White House in a speech to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition Saturday:
JACKSON: Honestly, it's an honor to be a food stamp president. Food stamps feed the hungry. Food stamps save the children. Food stamps help the farmer. Food stamps help the trunk driver. Food stamps help the White House. Food stamps help the store. Food stamps hire people and feed people. Food stamps save people from starvation and malnutrition. Whenever you attack feeding the hungry, you undermine the moral authority of our faith. Give President Barack Obama a big hand. Show your love, show your appreciation.
More than 46 million Americans are currently on food stamps, and total spending on the program has more than doubled in four years to an all-time high of $75.3 billion.
Earlier this month, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich called Obama the "food stamp president" in the Las Vegas Republican debate; Gingrich had used the line on the campaign trail in January. A series of accusations of racism followed. Rep. Steve Cohen (D., Tenn.) said the comment was racist towards the president; former President Jimmy Carter said there was a "subtlety of racism" to the remark; Rep. James Clyburn (D., S.C.) said the remark wasn't necessarily a racist comment but "people know what that means."