Representative Troy Nehls, a Republican from Texas, faced backlash for remarks made Tuesday on Capitol Hill regarding economic affordability. When asked by reporters how Republicans plan to convey that they are advocating for affordability to their constituents, Nehls responded by detailing his personal plans to purchase lobster tails and ribeyes.
"Affordability? What are you talking about?" Nehls asked. "I’m gonna go there tomorrow. ... I’m gonna get me a couple of big lobster tails. I’m gonna get me some nice ribeyes."
He further stated his intention to celebrate the "greatest president in my lifetime, Donald J. Trump," and characterized current energy cost increases as "temporary."
When a reporter questioned whether "60% of Americans living paycheck to paycheck can also afford lobster tails and ribeyes," Nehls replied, "Maybe not. Maybe the 60% of Americans don’t work as hard as I do either. I mean, I don’t know."
These comments, captured on video, were widely criticized on social media. Users described the remarks as "tone-deaf" and out of touch with the economic struggles faced by many Americans. One user stated that Nehls' comment about people not working as hard as him "might be the most tone-deaf thing I've heard a politician say."
During the same interview, Nehls also advocated for a 10-year moratorium on immigration, suggesting a symbolic covering of the Statue of Liberty. "We gotta put a bedsheet — a big bedsheet — over the Statue of Liberty," he said. "She’s gotta go to sleep for a while 'cause we're not letting anybody in anymore."