Today, I will be hosting my first in-person Town Hall in Midland. Town Halls give me the opportunity to listen to your thoughts and concerns and answer questions face-to-face. If you are not in the Midland area, I will be planning Town Halls around all 29 counties in the coming months, so keep an eye on my Facebook or website for future event announcements. If you are in the Midland area, I hope you will join me tonight

Midland Town Hall

Monday, March 22nd at 5:30pm CT

Bush Convention Center

105 N. Main Street, Midland, TX 79701

We Must Secure Our Border

Our southern border is a complete disaster-zone.

President Biden made it his day-one priority to end construction of the border wall—completely halting the project that had already been bought and paid for by American taxpayers. He also rescinded President Trump’s successful “Remain in Mexico” policy, reinstated catch-and-release, and has broken mutually beneficial relationships we had with Central American countries.

These actions have consequences.

Since Inauguration Day, we have seen President Biden’s open-borders rhetoric and policy changes incentivize caravans and large groups to make the harrowing journey to our southern border, resulting in an uncontrollable surge of illegal migration.

I traveled to our southern border last week to assess the situation for myself. You can read about my trip in the special edition Pfluger Fly-By: At the Border.

Despite the crisis at our border, Democrats had us voting on two amnesty bills last week. I can think of nothing more tone deaf or disrespectful than voting on bills that will further incentivize illegal mass migration during the middle of a border crisis.

We have to secure our border before we can address the issues with our broken immigration system. I spoke on the House floor against these measures. You can watch my remarks here.

Calling For Relief for Texas Farmers

Agricultural producers are the bedrock of this country. Texas farmers were already hit hard from the effects of COVID-19 and hurricanes in South Texas, and last month’s extreme freeze set them back even further. These combined factors make it extremely difficult for producers to continue feeding and clothing our citizens. I am proud to join my Texas colleagues in advocating for swift relief for our Texas farmers through introducing the RESTORE Act with Representatives Ronny Jackson, Henry Cuellar, and 11 other members of the Texas delegation.

H.R. 1692, the RESTORE (Rehabilitating Economic Success Through Overcoming Rural Emergencies) Act, works by reauthorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildfire Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+) to include natural disasters from 2020 and 2021. Currently, the program only covers disasters from 2018 and 2019.

Speaking Up for Second Amendment Rights

I have also pushed back against pieces of legislation that would restrict the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens. Notably H.R. 8, a bill that would impose universal background checks and gut the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners.

We all mourn the loss of innocent lives from gun violence.

The truth is that this legislation does nothing to address the root causes of gun violence and may do little to actually prevent criminals from obtaining guns as has previously been said during this debate.

If we are going to affect real change we do not need to tack additional restrictions on law-abiding citizens. We need to look at the root causes and have a transparent and open debate to talk about mental health and the proper enforcement of the laws we already have.

Watch me speak on the House Floor against H.R. 8 here.

Free Trevor Reed

It was an honor to lead a press conference with Senator John Cornyn, Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, and House Foreign Affairs Committee Republican Leader Michael McCaul for a press conference demanding the immediate release of U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Trevor Reed, who is currently being detained as a political prisoner in Russia. We were also joined by Trevor’s mother and father, Paula and Joey Reed.

Our resolution and our message are simple: the United States will not tolerate an American citizen being held by the Putin Regime as a political pawn. Free Trevor Reed.

Full video of remarks and reporter questions can be viewed here. Read more about Trevor here.

Co-Sponsored Legislation:

Border Security Reimbursement Act

Introduced by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-02)

This legislation would reimburse states like Texas who have spent significant resources on enforcing federal immigration laws, which is a responsibility of the federal government. The Border Security Reimbursement Act would reimburse states who have spent more than $2.5B on border security in the last 10 years.

The Death Tax Repeal Act

Introduced Rep. Jason Smith (MO-3)

This bill would protect family-owned businesses, farms, and ranches from being hit with a hefty tax in the event a loved one dies. The Death Tax Repeal Act would allow farmers, ranchers, and small business owners to expand their operations, invest in their employees, and upgrade their infrastructure and technology instead of worrying about their loved ones being hit with a the estate tax.

Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act of 2021

Introduced by Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03)

This bill would reassert Congress' legislative authority and prevent excessive overreach by the executive branch in the federal rulemaking process. It would require every new "major rule" proposed by federal agencies to be approved by both the House and Senate before going into effect. The bill would also preserve Congress' authority to disapprove of a "nonmajor rule" through a joint resolution.

H.R.1699 - To provide for congressional review of actions to terminate or waive sanctions imposed with respect to Iran.

Introduced by Michael McCaul (TX-10)

This legislation would empower Congress to review, and if necessary, block, any effort by the Biden administration to terminate U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime.

The Reopen Schools Act

Introduced by Ashley Hinson (IA-01)

Keeping our schools closed is a disservice to students, parents, and teachers. In-person learning can be done safely with the right precautions and safety measures. That is why Congress specifically appropriated this funding to ensure schools can reopen while keeping students and teachers safe. This bill would condition state COVID relief grants for education on schools reopening so that students can get back in the classroom safely.

Letters:

Rights-of-Way Letter

I joined my colleagues in sending a letter to Acting Secretary of Interior Scott de la Vega concerning the delay of permits for rights-of-way on federal lands. Permitting delays for oil & gas operations put thousands of American jobs at risk. These delays also increase the possibility for multiple types of environmental hazards, such as producers needing to flare associated gas production and increased truck hauling of produced oil and water.

Letter to Secretary Blinken on Nord Stream II

This letter, spearheaded by GOP Members on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, expresses deep concerns about the Biden Administration’s implementation plans for the congressionally-mandated Nord Stream 2 sanctions, and requests an assessment on an updated list of entities reportedly engaging in sanctionable activity related to the pipeline, as well as more information on the “evidentiary threshold” the State Department is using when weighing additional sanction designations.

Letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and HHS Acting Secretary Cochran

During a Committee on Homeland Security Hearing, Secretary Mayorkas admitted that it was a failure on the part of DHS to not communicate and collaborate properly with local and state officials before making the decision to move up to 700 illegal migrant children into Midland county. After the hearing, I sent a letter to DHS Secretary Mayorkas and HHS Acting Secretary Cochran demanding answers to several more of my questions including including how long they will be there, if more are on the way and implications on the spread of coronavirus.

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