April 23, 2021

D.C. Statehood is Latest Power Grab

This week, House Democrats passed H.R. 51, an unconstitutional measure to make Washington, D.C. a state. I opposed this blatant attempt to solidify power and control in Washington.
 
Our Founders debated the merits of statehood and a federal district, and rightly concluded that no one state should have supremacy over the others and enjoy the considerable benefits and influence of being our national headquarters.
 
Our Founders got it right. H.R. 51 gets it wrong.
 
In debate on the House Floor, I asked if D.C. surrenders the special status of our federal district and instead becomes one of 51 equals, why should it enjoy all the benefits of being the federal district? Perhaps federal agencies like the Department of Energy or USDA should be moved to places like West Texas, where people actually produce food and fuel for the Nation and beyond.
 
Ambitions on the political left to expand the Supreme Court, add US Senate seats, eliminate the filibuster, keep 3 electoral votes for occupants of the White House, all while controlling all election law, are about one thing - more power for them.

I spoke on the House Floor opposing this disastrous bill. Watch my remarks here or below.

If Biden Won’t Secure Our Border, Republicans Will

This week, I introduced the American Border Rescue Plan Act, which allows state and local governments to use stimulus funds from the American Rescue Plan to cover the costs of border security and protect the safety of their citizens.
 
Border states like Texas spend millions of dollars each year on border security and hundreds of millions curtailing illegal immigration. Unfortunately, President Biden’s refusal to take accountability for his self-made mass migration crisis is placing a devastating burden on our local communities.
 
I will continue pushing the Biden Administration to provide our state and local communities and border security agencies with the proper tools, personnel, and resources they need to secure our border and protect the safety of all Americans. It’s time to rescue our border.

Read more here.
 
Border Press Conference
My Texas colleagues and I held a press conference calling attention to the chaos happening at our southern border.
 
As Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism, one of the most frightening things we heard - not from the Administration itself but rather firsthand from Customs and Border Protection agents - was that we have known terrorists crossing our border and CBP does not have the resources to stop them.
 
President Biden should be on the ground ensuring that law enforcement officers have the proper resources, capability, and training they need to do their mission. Yet neither the President and Vice President have visited the border to see the crisis.
 
I am calling on the President to come to the border and speak to the CBP agents who have been on the frontlines keeping our country safe. Mr. President: the safety and security of my family and other Texas families must come first. 

Watch my remarks here.
Introduced a Bill to Expand Liquified Natural Gas Exports

Natural gas is a critical component of our national security and energy strategy that has made the United States a world leader in energy. As our world recovers from the impacts of the global pandemic and we look toward the future, it is critical for the federal government to allow private industries the freedom to innovate and export our clean, affordable, reliable energy to the world. 
 
This week I introduced the Natural Gas Export Expansion Act, a bipartisan bill to expand expedited approval of all liquified natural gas (LNG) export permit applications to any country except those subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States, or those excluded by the President or Congress for reasons of national security.
 
This bill builds on the work of the previous administration by cutting the red tape and regulations that delay and prevent private companies from exporting liquid natural gas to countries around the globe will have a myriad of benefits—from reducing global emissions, to promoting gas capture, and most importantly, bolstering national security for the United States and our allies.
 
Read more here. 

Calling on the Biden Administration to Get Tough on Iran
Iran is the #1 sponsor of state terrorism, and hellbent on acquiring nuclear weapons. President Biden talks a big game in Iran dealings, but we are seeing a disturbing pattern of behavior. He is drawing from the same playbook of failed policies and soft, empty rhetoric from the Obama-era. His actions are emboldening our adversaries, endangering our allies, and making America less safe.
 
I joined former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and my Republican Study Committee colleagues in introducing the Maximum Pressure Act, a bill that empowers Congress to stop the Biden Administration from re-entering the Iran Deal, and makes President Trump's maximum pressure strategy the law of the land.
 
We must embrace a strategy that works based on realities on the ground, not wishful thinking. It's time to bring the pressure and make it clear to our adversaries that the United States does not compromise with terrorists.

Watch my remarks here.
Supporting Meaningful Legislation
 
This week, I co-sponsored several important bills:
 
Introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA)
This bill would require the Biden administration to resume construction of the border wall system and overturn President Biden’s executive order which halted the completion of the southern border wall.
 
Introduced by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN)
This piece of legislation would impose harsher sanctions on Iran, the number one sponsor of state terrorism and one of the most ferocious countries on acquiring nuclear weapons. This act would make President Trump’s maximum pressure strategy the law of the land, reassert the legislative branch’s role in national security decisions, and allow Congress to overturn any sanctions President Biden lifts.
 
Introduced by Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) and Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
This resolution would condemn the Russian government for the attempted assassination, wrongful imprisonment and brutal treatment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny as well as hold the Putin Regime accountable for any attempts to silence defenders of freedom and democracy. 
  
Signing Important Letters
 
I also signed onto letters advocating for our critical oil & gas workers and our national security.
 
Letter Calling to Reinstate Keystone XL Pipeline Project
I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves urging the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to take up bipartisan legislation that authorizes the Keystone XL Pipeline. As you know, President Biden issued Executive Order 13990 revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would create 42,100 total jobs from construction to operation and is estimated to boost the U.S. GDP by $3.4 billion during construction alone.
 
Letter to Sec. Mayorkas to Secure Southern Border
I joined Rep. Debbie Lesko (R-AZ) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX) in sending a bipartisan letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas requesting that the department shift their focus to securing the southwest border against subterranean threats.
Thank you for reading. It is the honor of my lifetime to serve you in Congress. Please follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily updates.
Rep. August Pfluger
Member of Congress