WASHINGTON — Many federal workers are coming up on a second payday without getting paid as the partial government shutdown continues. One U.S. Cabinet secretary, however, wants to know why furloughed workers aren't just taking out loans.

Secretary Wilbur Ross of the Department of Commerce — one of the departments mostly affected by the partial shutdown —questioned Thursday why some of the hundreds of thousands of workers not getting paychecks were going to homeless shelters and food pantries to get food, saying he didn't understand why.

He said the workers should be, instead, borrowing from a bank or a credit union.

“The obligations that they would undertake, say, borrowing from a bank or a credit union, are in effect federally guaranteed," Ross said on CNBC Thursday morning. "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.”

Ross acknowledged that the workers may have to pay a bit of interest on the loan, but said the workers will eventually get paid when the government reopens.

Many banks and credit unions are offering special loans against back pay for federal workers. Furloughed contractors, however, may not get that back pay. 

The comments drew harsh criticism from lawmakers, particularly Democrats, who likened Ross's remarks to the "let them eat cake" remark often attributed to Marie Antoinette.

On CNN Thursday, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) said it shows people don't understand how serious the shutdown is for federal workers and contractors.

"I think what he is suggesting is an alternative, but it is not one that is palatable to a lot of people," Rounds said.

Information from the Associated Press and CNN were used in this report.