Turns out a $20 burrito is all it takes to kick up a political firestorm in the Republican Party. After Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for the conservative online commentary page Turning Point USA, tried to blame the rising cost of food on former President Joe Biden, Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw entered the discussion and told people to “stop whining” — and chaos ensued.
Like most online controversies, this started on X, formerly known as Twitter. It all began when conservative commentator Matt Walsh took to the platform to argue against foreign wars, saying elected officials should instead focus on getting control of the rising cost of living.
At that point, Kolvet chimed in and pointed to Biden and COVID-19 as the culprits — notably shifting the conversation away from the foreign wars Walsh had been discussing. But Kolvet was the one who brought up the fact that students had been telling him that “a burrito shouldn’t cost $20”.
One of our TPUSA college students gave me his take on affordability:
— Andrew Kolvet (@AndrewKolvet) August 4, 2026
“A burrito shouldn’t cost $20.”
Yeah, a lot of this is a hangover from Covid and Biden-era inflation, but the lived experience is the same: It just feels like basic things cost too much. https://t.co/GEvmbea57o
Enter Crenshaw
Seeing the food fight, Rep. Crenshaw finally decided to jump into the ring. But he didn’t come in as the cooler head playing peacemaker. He dismissed the entire conversation as “dumb” and urged struggling Americans to “stop whining” and eat budget-friendly food. Crenshaw wrote, “Eat Ramen like the rest of us did in college, on a budget with 4 roommates.”
According to the congressman, changing prices are an immutable fact of life for consumers, and they simply have to get used to it. He added, “The market doesn’t care what you think something ‘should’ cost.” The blowback was immediate and swift.
Dan Crenshaw tells Americans who don’t want to spend $20 on a burrito: “Stop whining, get a job, eat Ramen like the rest of us did in college.” pic.twitter.com/p8Dce0UfQ8
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) August 6, 2026
There were memes and trolls, but most significantly, bipartisan backlash to Crenshaw’s comments. Matt Walsh wrote in part, “The conservatives on here denying the affordability crisis are engaged in what I can only describe as an act of political suicide. They’re also lying, which is the worst part.”
The conservatives on here denying the affordability crisis are engaged in what I can only describe as an act of political suicide. They're also lying, which is the worst part. Grocery prices are up. Housing. Energy. Insurance. Health care. Basic living expenses. It's real. It's…
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) August 5, 2026
Elizabeth Warren also took the opportunity to urge Americans to view the controversy as a reason to vote out the GOP in the upcoming midterms. According to The Sun, Crenshaw eventually responded to the controversy, sarcastically suggesting that burritos proved capitalism had failed.
However, the internet, doing what it does best, was able to dig up old quotes from Crenshaw in which he blamed the White House in 2021 for rising grocery costs. On the same social media platform where Crenshaw is now arguing that rising costs are not something the administration should intervene in, the Texas representative once wrote, “America: our food prices are too high. What are you doing about inflation? Biden admin: just be vegan and stop complaining you bunch of rubes.”
America: our food prices are too high what are you doing about inflation?
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) September 9, 2021
Biden admin: just be vegan and stop complaining you bunch of rubes https://t.co/28zBKy9DJx
He used to care about rising costs
Whether this will affect the majority Republicans currently maintain in both Congress and the Senate ultimately remains the choice of the American voter. However, if Crenshaw wants to appeal to voters on the campaign trail, he might need to explain what changed his mind about rising costs over the past five years.
Economic hardship will always be one of the most important issues for voters. If you cannot comfortably afford to feed yourself and your family, every other ideology suddenly matters just a little bit less.
