GOP Lawmaker Suggests Americans Can't Afford Lobster and Steak Because They Don't Work Hard Enough

A MAGA lawmaker boasted about plans to feast on steak and lobster when asked about rising living costs, while also claiming that Americans who can’t afford such indulgences may not work as hard as he does.

Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas — one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress — was approached Tuesday on the steps of Capitol Hill by Migrant Insider reporter Pablo Manríquez.

“Congressman real quick,” Manríquez said, according to a video he posted on X. “How do House Republicans make the case that you’re fighting for affordability when you go back to your districts?”

Nehls seemed perplexed by the question.

“Affordability? What’re you talking about?” the lawmaker said. “I’m gonna go there tomorrow, well over the Fourth. I’m gonna get me a couple of big lobster tails, I’m gonna get me some nice ribeyes. I’m gonna sit in my backyard with my family, my neighbors, and we’re going to be enjoying the Fourth, celebrating 250 years.”

“We’re gonna be celebrating the greatest president of my lifetime, Donald J. Trump,” added Nehls, who has previously called for renaming Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., after the 80-year-old president.

He later addressed the cost-of-living issue, which consistently ranks among Americans’ top concerns. According to a May Politico poll, a majority of Americans believe the current cost of living is the worst they can remember — and most of them blame Trump for their predicament.

“Listen, everybody understands you’re gonna see a little increase in energy prices because of Iran,” the congressman said. “I mean, come on, people aren’t stupid.”

Nehls described higher fuel costs, including gasoline, as a “temporary issue” and suggested some increases could stem from price gouging — a practice Trump has recently criticized.

Although gas prices have declined in recent weeks, they remain markedly higher than before the Iran conflict began. On Wednesday, the national average stood at $3.84 per gallon, up from $2.98 two days before the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, according to AAA.

Manríquez then pressed him: “You think 60 percent of Americans who are living paycheck to paycheck can afford lobster tails and ribeyes and all that?”

“Maybe not,” Nehls said. “Maybe the 60 percent of Americans don’t work as hard as I do either. I mean, I don’t know.”

Nehls, a former sheriff elected in 2021, has emerged as one of Trump’s most steadfast allies on Capitol Hill. He strongly advocated for Trump’s immigration agenda and has echoed the president’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. In 2023, he said he would nominate Trump to serve as Speaker of the House. During February’s State of the Union address, Nehls showed up wearing a tie emblazoned with the president’s face, asking him to sign it.