As nearly half of Americans express worry about their personal finances, U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls, a Republican representing a suburb southwest of Houston, instead chose to focus on his own good fortune when approached by a reporter on the steps of Capitol Hill.
“Affordability — what are you talking about?” Nehls, who represents Texas District 22 in Congress, told the journalist for Meidas Touch who asked how House Republicans are fighting to make life more affordable for constituents.
“Over the Fourth, I’m going to get me a couple of big lobster tails, I’m going to get me some nice rib-eyes. I’m going to sit in my backyard with my family [and] my neighbors, and we’re going to be enjoying the Fourth, celebrating 250 years, the birthday [of America],” the congressman added.
Nehls, who isn’t seeking reelection, also noted he will be “celebrating the greatest president of my lifetime,” referring to President Donald Trump.
Nehls is a former law enforcement officer who served as a patrolman for the Richmond Police Department before being fired in 1998 for department violations including destroying evidence and improper arrests.
When another reporter asked if the majority of Americans living paycheck-to-paycheck can indulge in such delicacies, Nehls wondered whether “maybe those 60% of Americans don’t work as hard as I do.”
In a CBS poll released in May, 44% of Americans expressed worry about their financial situation, characterizing it as either “fairly bad” or “very bad.” A separate survey, also released in May, found that nearly 70% of Americans are more worried about running out of money than they are about death.
Additionally, one in three U.S. residents reports having no emergency savings, another recent poll shows. And for those who do, a mere $500 saved is the median.
Yet, Nehls is just parroting the recent rhetoric around affordability from Trump, who said a recently passed bipartisan affordable housing bill is “a yawn” and remarked that he “doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation” at all.
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