As millions of Americans continue living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to pay for groceries, gas, and rent, one MAGA congressman couldn’t have sounded more out of touch. Instead of addressing the affordability crisis, Rep. Troy Nehls bragged about his plans to feast on steak and lobster before saying that Americans who can’t afford the same simply don’t work as hard as he does.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) delivered the eyebrow-raising comments Tuesday when he was asked how House Republicans plan to convince voters they’re addressing affordability, a concern that consistently ranks near the top of Americans’ economic worries.
Instead of talking about lowering prices or helping families stretched thin by inflation, Nehls seemed baffled by the question.
“Affordability? What’re you talking about?” he replied before enthusiastically outlining his Fourth of July menu.
“I’m gonna get me a couple of big lobster tails, I’m gonna get me some nice ribeyes,” Nehls said. “I’m gonna sit in my backyard with my family, my neighbors, and we’re going to be enjoying the Fourth.”
He then added that he’d also be celebrating “the greatest president of my lifetime, Donald J. Trump.”
Eventually, Nehls turned to the actual question about rising costs, acknowledging that Americans have seen higher energy prices following the conflict with Iran. But he brushed the issue aside as a temporary problem, suggesting any price spikes would eventually pass and hinting that some companies could be price gouging.
The problem for many Americans is that they’re paying those higher prices right now.
Although gas prices have eased from their peak, they’re still well above where they were before the conflict with Iran erupted. According to AAA, the national average Wednesday stood at $3.84 a gallon—up sharply from the $2.98 average recorded just before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran.
Then came the comment that quickly drew attention online.
Asked whether the roughly 60 percent of Americans living paycheck to paycheck could afford lobster tails and ribeye steaks, Nehls didn’t express much sympathy.
“Maybe not,” he said. “Maybe the 60 percent of Americans don’t work as hard as I do either. I mean, I don’t know.”
It’s a remarkable message at a time when many families are juggling higher grocery bills, elevated housing costs, and fuel prices that remain well above where they stood before the Middle East conflict.
Nehls has long been one of Trump’s most loyal defenders in Congress. He backed Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, championed the president’s immigration agenda, once floated Trump as a candidate for Speaker of the House, and famously wore a tie covered in Trump’s face to the State of the Union, asking the president to autograph it.
Now, as many Americans continue looking for relief from rising costs, Nehls appears to believe the best response is to boast about his holiday feast—and suggest that people who can’t afford one simply aren’t working as hard as he is.
Watch the clip below:
PabloReports: How do House Republicans make the case that you're fighting for affordability when you go back to your districts?
Nehls: Affordability? What are you talking about? I'm gonna go there tomorrow. I'm gonna get me a couple of big lobster tails. I'm gonna get me some… pic.twitter.com/mFenNE9m6x
— MeidasTouch (@MeidasTouch) June 30, 2026
