Today, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) joined Maria Bartiromo on Mornings with Maria to discuss President Trump signing his legislation to repeal the natural gas tax into law, President Trump and Secretary Hegseth's announcement of the F-47 fighter jet contract, the importance of reliable electricity sources to support American energy independence, and much more.

\

Read highlights of the conversation below, or click HERE to watch the full interview.

On Rep. Pfluger's CRA to repeal former President Biden's harmful natural gas tax being signed into law:

"Last week, I had the honor of being in the Oval Office with President Trump signing into law just the second piece of legislation that was signed into law, which repealed the methane tax, the natural gas tax that President Biden did to assault the industry, and that's just the beginning. We're going to keep going on this. What President Trump did on day one by enacting a national emergency for our energy security sector, was to unleash American energy to make sure that we could cut the red tape, that we could use the resources that we have right here underneath our feet, and that we could lower the cost of energy for every single American. So again, being in the Oval Office to sign into law, to codify into law, his executive orders last Friday to repeal the natural gas tax was a huge honor."

On President Trump and Secretary Hegseth's announcement of the F-47 fighter jet contract:

"This one is near and dear to my heart. I spent a tremendous amount of time in my professional career flying the F-22 and have advocated very vocally for this next-generation air dominance, called the sixth-generation platform, which allows us to move into the next phase where we have deterrence, where we can hold China at bay. Look at our Air Force right now. It's no secret that we are the smallest. We've grown to the least capable that we've been in decades. So with President Trump, this is promises made, promises kept. He said he was going to recapitalize our military. He said he was going to bring our military back to prominence. That's exactly what the F-47 represents. I'm so proud that he and Secretary Hegseth made this decision. It's the right choice, and it will bring our military back into a position where we can deter actors, like the Chinese Communist Party, who have come a long way in their weapons systems and their technology. We know that they don't just have a regional goal for hegemony. They actually have a worldwide goal. So the F-47 represents American power, and American ability to deter. It is near and dear to my heart, so I am very proud that they've made this decision."

On the importance of reliable electricity sources to support American energy independence:

"We had a hearing on this this week in the Energy and Commerce Committee. It's something that the Republican Study Committee is looking at as well. We know that what the Biden administration did by picking winners and losers in unreliable energy sources has led us to a deficiency of electricity, and we know that in the coming years, just in three to five years in fact, there may be a 50% to 100% increase in the demand for electricity. So every source that we have is going to have to play a role, but obviously, reliable sources like nuclear, like natural gas, are going to play an increasingly more important role. What President Trump is doing to bring businesses, manufacturing, and industry back to the United States is the right call, but it requires affordable, reliable electricity. That is something that this country has to get our arms around. You mentioned permitting reform - we're going to have to do that as well to allow the transmission of electricity to businesses. And just look at Texas, where we have a tremendous amount of industry that has flocked to our pro-business state in the last four years."

Background:

On the CRA: In the 119th Congress and alongside President Trump, Rep. Pfluger is committed to restoring American energy dominance and championing legislation that will directly benefit the incredible energy workers in the Permian Basin and across America. Earlier this month, President Trump signed Rep. Pfluger's Congressional Review Act (CRA) to reverse Biden's ill-conceived natural gas tax into law. This is just the beginning.

On the F-47: Rep. Pfluger is also the only fifth-generation fighter pilot in Congress with hundreds of hours of combat experience in the F-22. He founded the MACH-1 caucus which focuses on AirPower and maintaining our competitive advantage in air superiority.

On reliable electricity sources: Earlier this week, Rep. Pfluger participated in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Energy Subcommittee Hearing titled, "'Keeping The Lights On' Examining The State Of Regional Grid Reliability." During his line of questioning, ERCOT's President and CEO, Mr. Vegas, confirmed to Rep. Pfluger that there is a pressing need to invest in long-duration, dispatchable resources to support the Texas grid reliably.