Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., on Wednesday chided Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson for saying that poverty is a "state of mind."

"If poverty is a 'state of mind' Doctor Carson, then how would you diagnose hunger, homelessness and addiction - mere hallucinations?" Schiff said in a tweet.

If poverty is a "state of mind" Doctor Carson, then how would you diagnose hunger, homelessness and

addiction - mere hallucinations? https://t.co/xDaUenf1Ws — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) May 25, 2017



Carson, a former neurosurgeon, made the comment in a radio interview on SiriusXM earlier in the day.

"I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind," he said, according to the Associated Press. "You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street, and I guarantee in a little while they'll be right back up there."

Carson, who himself grew up in poor conditions in inner-city Detroit, added, "I think the majority of people don't have that defeatist attitude, but they sometimes just don't see the way, and that's where government can come in and be very helpful."