Rep. Troy Nehls was asked if 60% of Americans could afford to eat lobster tails as he does. He thinks Americans ‘don’t work as hard’ as him

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) said that Americans struggling to make ends meet may not work as hard as he does, after he was asked whether they could afford a lobster tail dinner like the one he said he plans to eat on July 4th. Nehls made the comments during an exchange with reporters on Capitol Hill, according to Mediaite.

The exchange happened after MeidasTouch‘s Pablo Manríquez asked Nehls how House Republicans justify saying they are fighting for affordability when they return to their districts, citing the ongoing “affordability” crisis tied to rising gas prices and other costs. Nehls responded, “Affordability? What are you talking about?”

Drop Site News’ Julian Andreone then asked Nehls whether the 60% of Americans who are said to live paycheck to paycheck could afford lobster tails and ribeyes like the ones Nehls described eating. Nehls said, “Maybe not. Maybe the 60% of Americans don’t work as hard as I do either. I mean, I don’t know.”

Nehls described his holiday plans while dismissing concerns about rising prices

Nehls talked about his upcoming July 4th plans in detail, saying he intended to eat “big lobster tails” and “nice ribeyes” with his family and neighbors. He said he planned to spend the day celebrating the country’s 250th birthday and what he called the “greatest president” of his lifetime, Donald Trump.

Nehls also said he might watch fireworks but suggested he probably would not stay up for them, since he said he goes to bed at 11 p.m. and had heard fireworks would not start until 11 p.m. Eastern time on the 4th of July.

When asked about rising energy prices, Nehls appeared to attribute the increase to the conflict with Iran, saying, “You’re gonna see a little increase in energy prices because of Iran. I mean, come on, people aren’t stupid. You realize that when you have a conflict with Iran.” 

He described the price increase as a “temporary issue,” and said keeping Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was a priority. That conflict has also driven a handful of House Republicans to join Democrats on limiting Trump’s war powers over continued military action.

Nehls also said that Trump had told energy companies not to engage in price gouging. “President Trump has made it very clear to these companies, don’t be gouging, no price gouging,” Nehls said. He claimed oil prices had risen from $69 to $72 a barrel in a short period and said price gouging would be “almost criminal.” 

Other administration officials have offered different explanations for the rising costs, with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum pointing to state-level energy policy as a bigger factor than the Iran conflict itself. The Bureau of Labor Statistics published a Consumer Price Index report earlier this month showing that annual inflation rose to 4.2%, with overall prices increasing by 0.5% for the month. 

Gas prices have dipped in recent weeks amid discussions of a long-term peace deal with Iran, but the average price per gallon was listed at $3.80, according to AAA data. That figure looks higher than the average price of below $3 a gallon before the conflict with Iran began in February.