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Originally Published in the Odessa American on March 3, 2026.

U.S. Rep. August Pfluger feels President Trump is on the right side of history by joining Israel in striking Iran on Saturday.

“First and foremost, for 47 years, the Iranian people have been terrorized and subjected to an authoritarian regime that has been the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, killed thousands of people around the world, and threatened the United States, chanting Death to America at every turn,” Pfluger said in a Wednesday phone interview.

The president, he said, has taken a bold yet necessary move.

“For President Trump to take such decisive action first last summer, when he destroyed their nuclear capability, and second, when he gave them chance after chance after chance, after they were murdering up to 30,000 or 40,000 innocent civilians who were simply protesting the regime in the streets is going to go down in history as not only one of the boldest moves in geopolitics, but one of the most important and right moves in geopolitics,” he added.

Pfluger said this “madness has to end.”

“I think the Secretary of War and the President have been very clear that they’re using speed, lethality and overwhelming force to avoid a long war, to avoid an endless war, and I applaud them for that. We are getting briefs today (March 3) on the details of this, and we will continue to monitor this situation,” Pfluger said.

On Department of Homeland Security funding, currently held up in Congress, Pfluger said it’s not really a stalemate.

“It’s just a refusal of Democrats to protect our homeland. There’s nothing more important than doing that. We we did our job. We passed the funding bill in the House. We sent it to the Senate, and Chuck Schumer, once again, defies American security and refuses to fund the most basic, the most important aspect of our of our homeland security, and that is the Department of Homeland Security,” Pfluger said.

He added that Democrats will do anything to compromise safety and security, whether it’s letting 10 million “undocumented, illegal immigrants into the country in a four-year period or now not being willing to fund the very people who are in positions to protect us, to protect us in Odessa, to protect us in San Angelo, to protect us in Washington, D.C.”

He cited the mass shooting in Austin this past weekend where the alleged gunman, Ndiaga Diagne, was shot and killed by police after killing three and injuring 14.

Pfluger said the event highlights that people are “in this country (and) for radical, religious Islamic reasons want to kill Americans and hate America.”

He asked why Democrats couldn’t come to the table and agree that they can fight about a number of things, but not about the safety, “sanctity and security” of the country.

On a separate topic, Pfluger was recently recognized as the April 2025 Energy Champion by Power The Future.

“What an honor. Seven years ago when I ran for this seat, and six years ago when I took office, I made a promise to the Permian Basin, to the district that I represent, to the hard working patriots that are responsible for the largest secure supply of oil and gas in the entire world … that I would be the champion, that I would stand up for them. I don’t do it for honors, I don’t do it for recognition. I don’t do it for awards, but it is nice that they have recognized me as that champion,” Pfluger said.

“I like to think that that’s exactly how I’ve conducted myself up here. I think my legislative record speaks for itself. We’ve passed more legislation than any other lawmaker in this Congress, and many of those legislative items have been to stand up for the Permian Basin, so it’s an honor. I’m humbled. It actually motivates me to continue doing even more to make sure that Midland and Odessa continue to be the world’s most important energy production area,” he added.