June 18, 2021

President Biden Must Display American Strength Against Russia

President Biden met with Vladimir Putin last week. The President spoke of imposing consequences on Russia for their malign actions and human rights abuses, but his actions following Russia’s recent aggressions have been anything but strong.

In the first few months of his presidency, President Biden extended the disastrous New START nuclear arms treaty, handed Russia dominance over the global energy market by greenlighting the Nord Stream II pipeline, and is allowing Russia to harbor cybercriminal groups who are attacking critical American agriculture and energy infrastructure.

If President Biden is to counter Putin’s hostility, he must make it clear to Vladimir Putin that the United States will not compromise on our values or interests, and we will hold Russia accountable.

Prior to the talks, I wrote a letter to the President urging him to address the arrest and detainment of American political prisoners Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan, who are being held by the Putin Regime as political pawns. I was joined on the letter by more than 50 Members of Congress, including Senator John Cornyn and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy.

President Biden confirmed that Trevor and Paul were among the topics discussed at the summit on Wednesday. While I am encouraged that President Biden heeded our calls and raised the heartbreaking imprisonment of Trevor and Paul up to Vladimir Putin, he absolutely must follow up this discussion with action.

I will continue to put pressure on this administration to demand the immediate release of Paul and Trevor, because as history has proven, Putin cannot be trusted. We must not stop until they are reunited safely with their families on American soil.
Democrats Blindside Republicans with Illegal and Tactless Budget Measure

Speaker Pelosi once said, ‘Show me your budget, show me your values.’ Well, she and other House Democrats showed us their values last week by attempting to sneak a measure establishing $1.5 trillion as the discretionary spending level into a completely unrelated bill.

This move not only blocks Republican input in the budget process, but breaks the law by violating the 1974 Budget Act. It has become more apparent than ever that the Democrat party believes the federal government should control every aspect of our lives, and they will completely destroy transparency and debate in their crusade to ram through socialist, big-government policies.

Grilling Biden's DHS Secretary on Border Security
I questioned Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the Biden Administration's response to the ongoing crisis at the southern border in a Homeland Security Committee hearing.

This administration has abdicated their responsibility to protect our citizens and secure our border. As a result, Texas law enforcement officers across the state are suffering.

We recently had 2 high-speed chases in Texas-11 where over $500k of meth, fentanyl, and cocaine were apprehended.

Our law enforcement officers are asking for one thing: help. It's long past time for the federal government to step up to the plate and provide the man-power, technology, and resources our border patrol agents need to combat this crisis.

You can watch my full line of questioning here.
Urged Biden Administration to Reverse Lesser Prairie Chicken Designation

The Biden Administration is continuing its assault on the livelihoods of farmers and ranchers, and the oil & gas industry. This time it is through a proposal to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken under the Endangered Species Act, a move that will have disastrous impacts on rural America and the energy industry.

Voluntary public-private conservation partnerships for the Lesser Prairie Chicken’s habitat are already working. In fact, recent surveys indicate that the Lesser Prairie Chicken population has more than doubled since 2013.

Instead of continuing to successfully work with our local communities and landowners, the Biden Administration has chosen a path that will only lead to more harmful restrictions and federal overreach.

I sent a letter to Interior Secretary Deb Haaland declaring my opposition to the proposal, and urging the Biden Administration to reverse the decision.

You can read the letter here.
Supporting Meaningful Legislation
 
So far this Congress, I have sponsored 7 original pieces of legislation and co-sponsored over 75 important bills that I believe further the values of our district.

You can see a full-list of the legislation I am supporting at this link, but below are a few of the bills I have co-sponsored recently:
 
Sponsored by Tony Gonzales (R-TX)
The bill aims to halt foreign investment from adversaries such as Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea in property near military installations or airspace on U.S. soil.
 
Sponsored by Michael Waltz (R-FL)
The TSP Act prevents the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB), which is the fiduciary of the TSP, from switching the benchmark index of the TSP International Fund to jurisdictions that do not allow US auditing, i.e. China. Congress should be concerned that the retirement program for military servicemembers and federal employees, which is funded by the taxpayer, could be invested in Chinese markets.
 
Sponsored by Ranking Member John Katko (R-NY)
U.S. adversaries such as China have exploited supply chains for enrichment of their businesses and furtherance of geopolitical goals for years. This became very evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. This bill requires DHS to analyze the risk of each identified critical domain for economic security and to determine whether there is a present or future threat to homeland security in the event of disruption, corruption, or dysfunction to such domain.
 
Sponsored by Andre Carson (D-IN), John Katko (R-NY), Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Randy Weber (R-TX), Val Demings (D-FL), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), August Pfluger (R-TX), Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), and Ed Case (R-HI)
This resolution applauds the Federal Protective Service for their 50 years of dedication to protecting the American people and federal government with honor, integrity, and commitment. Since their establishment in 1971, FPS has played an integral role in protecting government offices and employees. FPS currently protects over 9,000 federal government buildings across the nation.
 
Sponsored by Jason Smith (R-MO)
This legislation simply repeals the electric vehicle tax credit. Under current law, the Plug-In Electric Vehicle Tax Credit gives electric vehicle buyers a federal income tax subsidy up to $7,500 for the purchase of a brand new vehicle. This tax credit disproportionately benefits elites with nearly 80 percent of the credits claimed are by filers making $100,000 of more. This means that the federal government is subsidizing lavish vehicle purchases, while hardworking Americans are on the hook for the check.
 
Sponsored by Mike Gallagher (R-WI)
Directs the Director of National Intelligence to provide Congress with an unclassified report (with redactions to protect sources and methods) within 90 days on any and all potential links between the Wuhan Institute of Virology and COVID-19 origins, including information on any PLA activities at the lab, coronavirus research at the lab, and details on lab researchers who feel ill in autumn 2019 with symptoms consistent with COVID.
 
Sponsored by Tom Suozzi (D-NY)
The U.S. Army assigned the 369th Infantry Regiment, an entirely African American unit, to the French Army. These soldiers bravely served 191 days under near-constant enemy fire in Europe, returning home as one of the most decorated units of WWI. Out of respect, the French nicknamed them the “Men of Bronze,” and out of fear, the Germans nicknamed them the “Hellfighters,” which the regiment viewed as an honor.
 
Sponsored by Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
This legislation would authorize the U.S. Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. Proceeds from the sale of the commemorative coins will be used to maintain and repair the Memorial, as well as for commemorative and educational programming. This legislation ensures the memorial will be restored and maintained at no cost to the taxpayer. 

  
Signing Important Letters
 
Led by August Pfluger (R-TX) and Haley Stevens (D-MI)
This bipartisan, bicameral letter urged the President to address our concerns with Mr. Reed and Mr. Whelan’s imprisonment directly with Russian President Vladimir Putin during their planned meeting next week and that he redoubles his efforts in securing their release. During Biden’s post meeting press conference, he confirmed that both Trevor and Paul’s cases were addressed directly with Putin.
 
Led by Ranking Member Michael McCaul (R-TX)
The Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 was enacted with strong bipartisan support to ensure congressional oversight of U.S. policy regarding Iran’s nuclear program. That law requires the President to submit to Congress within five days any nuclear agreement reached with Iran, as well as a detailed verification assessment report and certification. Thus, required documentation for any agreement resulting from the ongoing negotiations must be submitted to Congress for the review period guaranteed by that law. 
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