# Happy 250th birthday from US Rep. Troy Nehls (R) — TEXAS

> Congressman Troy Nehls brushed off a question about affordability with a Fourth of July menu of lobster tails and rib-eyes — then told paycheck-to-paycheck Americans they might just not work as hard as he does.

**By:** Marcus Bellamy Shaw  
**Published:** July 4, 2026  
**Tags:** 250th anniversary, 4th Of July, July 4th

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When a reporter pressed Congressman Troy Nehls on affordability heading into the holiday weekend, he brushed the question aside entirely. “Affordability? What are you talking about?” Nehls replied. He then laid out his own Fourth of July plans in detail: “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, my neighbors, and we’re going to be enjoying the fourth, celebrating 250 years, the birthday [of America].”

The reporter followed up, pointing out that a majority of the country is nowhere near that kind of spending power, and asked directly whether the 60% of Americans “living paycheck to paycheck can afford lobster tails and rib eyes and all of that.” Nehls conceded the point only briefly before pivoting to blame those same Americans for their circumstances, replying “maybe not,” adding “maybe the 60 percent of Americans don’t work as hard as I do.”

Do you agree with Troy that you’re just a lazy 💩? Let us know in the comments!

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**About the author:** Marcus Bellamy left Michigan in 2024 with his wife Jesi, drove south, and kept driving until the air smelled like the Gulf. They landed in Galveston and decided that was that. He writes about Texas history, culture, and the communities that make this state unlike anywhere else — a perspective sharpened by being someone who chose Texas deliberately, not by accident of birth. His interests run from Gulf Coast fishing and boating to technology, science fiction, and the kind of deep-cut local history most people scroll past. Every Bit Texas is his attempt to make sure those stories don't disappear.

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_Read the full article at [everybittexas.com/posts/happy-250th-birthday-from-us-rep-troy-nehls-r-texas](https://everybittexas.com/posts/happy-250th-birthday-from-us-rep-troy-nehls-r-texas)_

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