Protecting the integrity of our elections is essential to the health of our democracy. This week, I introduced a new bill to prevent illegal immigrants from voting in Washington, D.C. October 14, 2022 Protecting the integrity of our elections is essential to the health of our democracy. This week, I introduced a new bill preventing illegal immigrants from voting in Washington, D.C. My bill is a response to a nearly-unanimous vote by the D.C. City Council to advance a bill that allows illegal immigrants to vote in local elections - even if they have only resided in D.C. for 30 days. It doesn’t matter whether it’s Washington, DC, New York City, or any other Democrat-run city—illegal immigrants do not have the right to vote—period. Liberals who want to allow noncitizens to vote are putting the integrity of our election system at risk. My bill puts a stop to it. Americans deserve to have confidence in our elections and know that only legal citizens are voting in the United States of America. I am also a cosponsor of The Protecting Our Democracy by Preventing Foreign Citizens from Voting Act which prohibits federal funds from being made available to state or local governments that allow noncitizens to vote in elections. Read more of my election integrity efforts here. In case you missed it, I joined Maria Bartiromo on Fox News ‘Sunday Morning Futures’ to announce my new bill and shine a light on the Biden Administration's tragedy of no consequences along the U.S.-Mexico border. The top-line message I received from Border Patrol agents on my recent trip to the border is that there are no consequences for illegal immigrants coming into this country, but deadly consequences for American citizens. 110,000 Americans died in one year from fentanyl-related deaths (most of which was trafficked across the southern border). Last week, just outside of our district in Seminole, a police officer was shot by an illegal immigrant on a routine traffic stop. It was also an illegal immigrant who went on a stabbing spree in Las Vegas, killing two people and injuring six others. How many Americans have to die before this President will acknowledge the national security crisis he has created with his policy of no consequences? Watch our full conversation here or by clicking below. Protecting Our Farmers and Ranchers The Biden Administration is proposing a climate rule that will be disastrous for American farmers and ranchers, while further threatening our economic and national security. This new rule burdens rural communities and threatens both our economic and national security. I wrote to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler expressing concern over the SEC’s proposed climate disclosure rule, which will harm U.S. agriculture producers and the economy. Our agriculture industry is vital to the health of our nation, as it contributes over $100 billion in value to the U.S. GDP. We deserve answers and to know how the SEC will insulate agribusinesses of all sizes from the immeasurable negative impacts of the proposed rule. Read my full letter here. National Farmer's Day This week we celebrated National Farmer's Day, honoring the hardworking farmers and ranchers who keep food on our tables and clothes on our backs. Texas producers face innumerable challenges with drought, sky-high input costs, Green New Deal policies coming out of this administration, and more. A nation that can feed and clothe itself is inherently safer than one that cannot—the work American producers do could not be more important. Click here to check out some of these policies I champion, including H.R. 8069, the Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act. If you ate or wore clothes this week, please thank a farmer! Secretary Mayorkas Knew Horse-Whipping Story Was Fake A new Fox News report released this week shows that Secretary Mayorkas was alerted that migrants were NOT whipped by Border Patrol, as had previously been reported, yet he slandered our Border Patrol heroes a few hours later, calling the images "horrifying" to the public. Democrats at the top level of our government—Sec. Mayorkas, VP Harris, and President Biden—all piled on their anti-law enforcement rhetoric and punished these border patrol agents over a lie they knew wasn't true. Not only has Secretary Mayorkas put the security of all Americans at risk by refusing to enforce our immigration laws, he is openly slandering his own Border Patrol agents based on a lie. He should resign immediately. Federal Changes to Social Security Benefits  I'm excited to share some great news for those receiving Social Security benefits. This week, the Social Security Administration announced that Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for approximately 70 million Americans will increase 8.7% next year. On average, Social Security benefits will increase by more than $140 per month starting in January. This 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) comes as Americans suffer from the highest inflation in decades. As Medicare premiums go down and Social Security benefits go up, seniors will have more peace of mind and breathing room. Information about Medicare changes for 2023 is available at www.medicare.gov. For Social Security beneficiaries enrolled in Medicare, their new higher 2023 benefit amount will be available in December through the mailed COLA notice and my Social Security's Message Center at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. Opportunities for Students to Get Involved Do you know a student interested in government? I am looking for students who are interested in the legislative process to join my Congressional Youth Advisory Council (CYAC)! This is an excellent opportunity for junior and senior high school students to learn about government, collaborate on and discuss various topics with me and their fellow high school students, and provide service to our wonderful district. The CYAC program consists of up to four virtual meetings. If accepted into the program, students must be able to attend at least three meetings, which will be scheduled after school hours. Additionally, CYAC participants will be provided special admittance to the upcoming Pfluger Youth Leadership Conference in Spring 2023. The deadline to apply is a week from today, October 21st. Click here or below to learn more and apply! The Congressional App Challenge is also open to all middle and high school (grades 6-12) students in the 11th Congressional District of Texas. Students can work alone or with a team of up to four to create and code their own app. Students entering the competition must submit their app to CongressionalAppChallenge.us during the Competition Submission Period through November 1st, 2022. The winner from the 11th Congressional District, chosen by a panel of expert judges, will be featured on the House of Representatives website, House.gov, as well as on CongressionalAppChallenge.us. The winning app will also be displayed in the U.S. Capitol among other winners from across the country. Additional sponsor prizes are to be announced. Students interested in applying can easily sign up at the App Challenge website or find more information about the challenge on my website here. Want to read our Newsletter in Spanish? Sign up below! ¿Quieres leer nuestro Boletín en español? Regístrate aquí para el Boletín en español 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 ‌ ‌ ‌ Rep. Pfluger | 1531 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]