May 12, 2023

Passing the Strongest Border Security Legislation in Decades Yesterday I proudly voted to pass H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act of 2023—the only border security package passed by the House of Representatives in decades. As President Biden allowed Title 42 to expire, House Republicans passed our solution to end the unprecedented border crisis. We are fulfilling our promises to restore sanctity, safety, and security at our borders.   I helped author H.R. 2, which will restart construction of the border wall, deploy much-needed technology improvements, increase the number of Border Patrol agents and give them well-deserved bonuses, require transparency regarding illegal crossings from the Department of Homeland Security, strengthen current law to protect unaccompanied children from human trafficking, end catch and release, and end abuse of executive immigration authority. This bill is about protecting Texans and all Americans whose lives are being put at risk by the untenable crisis at our southern border. Just looking at the numbers, in the two years that President Biden has been in office, there have been over 5 million encounters at the southern border and at least 1.4 million gotaways. That totals nearly six and a half million people. To put it in perspective… that’s bigger than the population sizes of thirty-three U.S. states. However, the border crisis is more than statistics and numbers. These are real people whose real lives were ended or changed forever. This is not just a border crisis, this is a national security and humanitarian crisis that is endangering every American, every day. Americans like Elisa Tambunga from Ozona, Texas, whose 7-year-old daughter and 71-year-old mother were killed in a high-speed car wreck by a human trafficker who was smuggling 11 illegal aliens in his pickup truck, and fathers like Joe Warnick of Odessa, Texas, who found his 17-year-old-son dead after taking a pill laced with fentanyl. Or children like the 700 unaccompanied minors who were dropped off at a man camp in Midland, Texas in the middle of the night by the Biden Administration’s Department of Health and Human Services, and the 53 migrants being killed in the sweltering heat in the back of a tractor-trailer in San Antonio. Texans demand a solution. Republicans will not ignore the crisis. We will restore the security of our border. WATCH my remarks in support of securing our border here or below.

Grilling EPA Administrator Regan This week I had the opportunity to hold the EPA Administrator accountable for the Agency's overreaching actions limiting energy production in the Permian Basin in an Energy and Commerce Committee Hearing.   It was extremely disheartening to hear the Administrator claim to have no knowledge of the EPA's plan to re-designate the Permian Basin as a "non-attainment" area for ozone—a move that would severely limit production and devastate our community.    I'm holding the Administrator and the Biden Administration accountable.   Energy Security is national security. The Permian Basin deserves to have a fair shake when it comes to producing energy. We know how to do it better than anywhere else, and the EPA needs to stay out of the way.   Watch my full line of questioning here or below.

The Secretary of Energy Has Never Been to the Permian Basin I had the opportunity to question Jennifer Granholm, the Secretary of the Department of Energy, in a House Energy & Commerce Committee hearing. In addition to not knowing how much electricity our national grid requires, the Secretary admitted that she has never visited the Permian Basin. The Biden Administration is so anti-reliable energy that their own Secretary in charge of our Nation's energy policy hasn't even made a trip to the most prolific production area for energy in this country.  I was proud to highlight our region and the good work our men and women in the industry have done to lift a billion people out of poverty, help the U.S. win World War II, and power our country. Watch my line of questioning here or below.

Defunding the World Health Organization In recent months, I have heard from many of you who join me in opposing the World Health Organization (WHO) and any treaties the Biden Administration may intend to enter into with the WHO. This week, I teamed up with a fellow West Texan, Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington (TX-19), in introducing a bill to block taxpayer funds from going to the World Health Organization unless the organization adopts specific, Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-related transparency measures; confirms it has stopped backing “woke” liberal initiatives; and ensures that no U.S. State or Citizen can be legally bound by the policies in the new “Pandemic Treaty.” The WHO completely botched its response to the COVID-19 pandemic and cannot be trusted to have the best interests of Americans in mind. We should defund the WHO as we know it, with its anti-freedom mandates, ties to the Chinese Communist Party—not enter into treaties with them.

Instead of focusing on the many crises facing our nation, President Biden has delivered a mandate that every federal agency must focus on ‘environmental justice.’  This means... despite the nationwide education crisis caused by COVID-19 school closures, Biden’s Department of Education is using its resources to force climate change propaganda on children. The Department of Justice, which should be investigating the many foreign influence schemes of the Biden family, will instead be enhancing the climate literacy of its staff, and electrifying its 40,000+ vehicles. At the Environmental Protection Agency, these additional powers are being used to shut down manufacturing facilities in the United States. I'm leading the charge to rescind this harmful order. Read more here.

Biden Family Foreign Influence I am extremely concerned by a recent House Oversight Committee discovery that indicates at least nine members of the Biden family received payments from foreign entities while Joe Biden served as Vice President. House Republicans, led by Chairman James Comer and Chairman Jim Jordan, are delivering accountability. I joined Mornings with Maria to discuss. Watch here or below.

Military Spouse Appreciation Day Members of our military could not function without the support and love of their families back home, and our country owes all military spouses—past and present—a debt of gratitude.  I want to especially thank my wonderful wife Camille for her sacrifice and service to our country. The girls and I are so grateful for you!

Recognizing Real Mothers As we approach Mother’s Day, I joined fellow Texan, Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14), and introduced a resolution recognizing the significance of motherhood and the impact mothers have on raising the next generation. The definition of "mother" has come under attack in recent years with terms like birthing person, gestational parent, chest feeder, menstruating people, pregnant people, and people with a capacity for pregnancy.   This resolution would: Supports policies that recognize mothers as mothers; Acknowledges that Mother's Day is intended specifically to commemorate motherhood and to honor the mothers of the United States; Recognizes the importance of motherhood, the sacrifices women make when choosing to raise a family, and the invaluable contributions of motherhood to the family, community, states, and the country as a whole; And encourages the people of the United States to observe Mother's Day in celebration of the women who have chosen to bring life into the world and nurture the next generation. Read the bill here.

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