Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says he doesn't understand why furloughed federal employees are going to food banks — a remark that landed the millionaire in hot political water on Thursday morning and resulted in him going on an apology tour.

About 800,000 federal workers on Friday will experience their second pay period without a check as the partial government shutdown goes into Day 34.

When pressed about the hardships these workers were facing Ross, 81, said 'I don't really quite understand why' they had to go to food banks.

'I know they are, and I don't really quite understand why,' he told CNBC's 'Squawk Box' on Thursday morning. 'Because, as I mentioned before, the obligations that they would undertake, say borrowing from a bank or a credit union are in effect federally guaranteed.'

'So the 30 days of pay that some people will be out, there's no real reason why they shouldn't be able to get a loan against it, and we've seen a number of ads of financial institutions doing that,' he noted.

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said he doesn't understand why furloughed federal workers can't get loans and why they are visiting food banks

Furloughed federal workers protested on Capitol Hill Wednesday

Hundreds of furloughed federal workers line up outside the World Central Kitchen on Tuesday in Washington, DC to receive a meal

His remarks earned outrage at a time when the Trump administration was already battling a perception that it doesn't care about furloughed federal workers.

Later on Thursday, Ross went on Bloomberg TV to apologize for his earlier remarks.

'We're painfully aware that there are hardships inflicted on the individual workers,' he said. 'There are people experiencing hardship,' he noted.

Trump's top economic adviser, a millionaire, has repeatedly talked about his understanding of the 'hardships' furloughed workers are facing, including young White House staffers.

The president claimed that a 'lot of the people that aren't getting their checks are letting us know we don't care, you've got to solve the crisis at the border' earlier in January.

Lara Trump, a daughter-in-law to the president and a spokesperson for his reelection campaign, said Wednesday in an interview with BOLD TV, 'It is a little bit of pain but it’s going to be for the future of our country and their children and their grandchildren and generations after them will thank them for their sacrifice.'

She and her husband Eric's net worth is not known, but her father-in-law is a billionaire.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized Ross on Thursday morning for having a 'let them eat cake' attitude at her weekly news conference.

'They have Wilbur Ross saying he just doesn't understand why when he was asked about people going into food lines and pantries and the rest, he said he doesn't understand why they have to do that. I don't know if this the let them eat cake kind of attitude or call your father money or this is character building for you, it's all going to end up very well,' she said at the Capitol on Thursday morning.

President Trump responded to Pelosi in real time on Twitter, making it clear that he was watching her on television during the period of time in which he had nothing on his public schedule.

'Nancy just said she “just doesn’t understand why?” Very simply, without a Wall it all doesn’t work. Our Country has a chance to greatly reduce Crime, Human Trafficking, Gangs and Drugs. Should have been done for decades. We will not Cave!' he said.

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also said that Ross' comment was 'unreal' in a tweet that qualified the Trump administration official as a 'billionaire.'

Ross was once thought to be a billionaire, but Forbes reported in 2017 that he is not. Forbes said that he 'lied' about his net worth. He has $700 million in assets, it estimated. He acknowledged the error in a government filing last year.

At the White House, the president's chief economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, tried not to make the same mistake as his colleague. He said that he is fully aware of the 'hardships' that furloughed workers are facing

At the White House, the president's National Economic Council director, Larry Kudlow, tried not to make the same mistake as his colleague. He said that he is fully aware of the 'hardships' that furloughed workers are facing. Kudlow noted that he has young staffers who are working without pay.

'Nobody, including myself, likes the hardship caused, the temporary hardship caused ,by the government shutdown. Nobody, I have said this, I have young people on my staff, devoted young people,' he said. 'You know when you're 28-years-old, you don't save a lot. I get that. And I think a lot of people will have to get through this.'

Responding to a question from DailyMail.com about Ross, and charges that his comments on food bank and loans were 'out of touch,' Kudlow said he could speak only for himself.

'I fret about the hardship,' he said. 'Am I out of touch? I don’t think I’m out of touch, I’m addressing the problem. I’ve met with my individual staff members, and god bless ‘em, they’re working for free, they’re volunteering. But they do it, because they believe government service is honorable, and they believe in President Trump, and they're working as hard as ever. I just hope we get this thing done, you know, ASAP.'

Another reporter noted that other federal workers are not 'volunteering,' in some cases, as they are being compelled to come to work during the shutdown.

Kudlow said he was incredibly sympathetic to their plight. 'I’ve become a great fan of the millennials,' he said as he walked out of the impromptu briefing he was giving in the press room of the White House in front of the podium.

Ross had suggested on CNBC that workers should get loans from banks to cover them until the shutdown ends -— even if that means paying interest.

'Banks and credit unions should be making credit available to them. There is really not a good excuse why there should be a liquidity crisis. True, people will have to pay a little interest,' he told 'Squawk Box' on Thursday morning. 'There is no reason why some institutions would not be able to lend.'

He told Bloomberg TV he was trying to give workers resources to use with his suggestion.

'Part of my purpose in what I said this morning is to try to make sure the workers who are experiencing liquidity crises know that may be a source they could go to,' Ross said.

Hundreds of banks and credit unions have offered low or no-interest loans to workers.

But thousands of furloughed staff are struggling to make ends meet until they receive their backpay when the government reopens.

Ross is a multi-millionaire businessman whose tenure in President Trump's Cabinet has been marked by reports that he's both on the way out and in favor.

President Trump himself has been asked repeatedly if he sympathizes with federal workers as he faces questions whether his administration has shown enough concern for furloughed staff.

'To all of the great people who are working so hard for your Country and not getting paid I say, THANK YOU - YOU ARE GREAT PATRIOTS! We must now work together, after decades of abuse, to finally fix the Humanitarian, Criminal & Drug Crisis at our Border. WE WILL WIN BIG!,' Trump wrote on twitter earlier this month.

Meanwhile, some federal workers are on the job without being paid while others are furloughed as they wait for the shutdown to end.

. @CommerceGov Secretary Wilbur Ross on federal workers going to homeless shelters for food during #shutdown: “Well I know they are and I don't really quite understand why” suggesting gov't employees take out loans through banks or credit unions pic.twitter.com/QFs4UySNcH — Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) January 24, 2019

A protestor on Capitol Hill on Wednesday

Philabundance volunteers distribute food to furloughed federal workers and their families who are affected by the partial government shutdown in Philadelphia on Wednesday

Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined chef Jose Andres to distribute meals to furloughed workers on Tuesday

Reporters have expounded on TSA workers calling in sick as they take side jobs to fill their bank accounts while their pay checks are blank.

Other furloughed workers, including members of the Coast Guard, have turned to food banks and food pantries to feed their families, several organizations across the country, told CNN.

More than 2,400 people showed up at five pop-up markets in Washington D.C. for out-of-work federal employees this past weekend.

The attendance was more than double expected at the event organized by Capital Area Food Bank.

Most of the food was done early, the group's president and CEO Radha Muthiah told CNN.

Hundreds of furloughed workers protested on Capitol Hill Wednesday as there is no sign of the shutdown coming to an end anytime soon.

'Will work for pay,' one of the signs read.