Jeb Bush: People need to work longer hours

During an interview with New Hampshire’s The Union Leader, GOP presidential candidate Jeb Bush said that to grow the economy, “people should work longer hours.”

“My aspiration for the country and I believe we can achieve it, is 4 percent growth as far as the eye can see. Which means we have to be a lot more productive, workforce participation has to rise from its all-time modern lows.

"It means that people need to work longer hours” and, through their productivity, gain more income for their families. That's the only way we're going to get out of this rut that we're in," Bush said.

Bush also addressed the subject earlier this year at the Detroit Economic Council.

“For several years now, they have been recklessly degrading the value of work, the incentive to work, and the rewards of work. We have seen them cut the definition of a full-time job from 40 to 30 hours, slashing the ability of paycheck earners to make ends meet. We have seen them create welfare programs and tax rules that punish people with lost benefits and higher taxes for moving up those first few rungs of the economic ladder," Bush said in February.

The Democratic National Committee is attacking Bush's latest remarks as "easily one of the most out-of-touch comments we’ve heard so far this cycle."

Bush campaign later clarified his comments by saying that the former Florida Governor was referring to the underemployed and part-time workers.

“Under President Obama, we have the lowest workforce participation rate since 1977, and too many Americans are falling behind. Only Washington Democrats could be out-of-touch enough to criticize giving more Americans the ability to work, earn a paycheck, and make ends meet," the Bush campaign said.