August Pfluger

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the people of Haiti continue to suffer from devastating natural disasters, political instability, and fragile public institutions. The country has never recovered from the 2010 earthquake or the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. With their economy unable to recover, Haiti remains the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. As a result, the lack of economic opportunity has led to an increase in crime and gang violence. At the same time, civil unrest caused by political instability plagues the island nation. There are credible accusations of systemic government corruption and human rights abuses, and Haiti is facing a constitutional crisis after failing to organize legislative elections in 2019; meaning, the country has no sitting Parliament at this time. We continue to strongly urge the Government of Haiti to hold free and fair elections that reflect the will of the Haitian people. All of these challenges are now compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic. That is why I support the Haiti Development, Accountability, and Institutional Transparency Initiative Act. This legislation requires the State Department to assess how effective U.S. assistance is in helping Haiti's recovery efforts. Haiti remains the second largest recipient of U.S. support in the region. Since 2011, American taxpayers have sent nearly $1.9 billion to assist them with economic development and to support expanding their democracy. It is our responsibility in this Congress to ensure that this money is, in fact, being spent wisely. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise vehemently opposed to the Democrats' latest move in their war on American energy independence. Today's misguided resolution calling for additional onerous regulations from the Obama administration era to be reimposed on the fossil fuel industry will only lead to a lack of energy security. Just 2 years ago, the United States became the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, thanks to President Trump's administration's deregulation that allowed private energy innovators and entrepreneurs to flourish. I represent the Permian Basin, and let me just state for the record that Texas does have methane regulations, a completely false accusation that I have heard three times in this debate. Energy security is national security. And now we risk losing our competitive edge on the world stage with needless regulations that will hurt small and independent producers and crush innovation; the same private innovation that has allowed the United States to lead the way in reducing methane emissions to a 20-year low. Mr. Speaker, our Nation relies on affordable, reliable energy; the same affordable, reliable energy that has raised a billion people out of poverty in the last 10 years--a billion people out of poverty. Today, global demand is going to continue to increase. We cannot allow foreign adversaries, like China and Russia and others, to profit off of our overly regulated State. Let me say again, energy security is national security. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this resolution and standing up for American energy independence.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to demand answers and call for all intelligence into the origins of the COVID-19 virus to be declassified. The United States should not rely on the World Health Organization, the same organization that covered for the Chinese Communist Party in the early days of the pandemic, to deliver answers to the American public about the origins of a virus that wrecked our economy and tragically claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives. In April of last year, President Trump and Secretary Pompeo raised concerns of a COVID-19 lab leak. These concerns were completely ignored and censored by social media companies and traditional news outlets due to their vitriol and hatred for the former President. Now Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats are stonewalling House Republicans' efforts to deliver answers. It is our responsibility to keep this country safe. If the CCP is indeed found responsible for the leak and cover-up, they must be held accountable for the needless loss of life and for our economy. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to immediately join Republicans in our call for answers. The American people, and all those around the world who have lost loved ones, deserve answers.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, this week is National Police Week. It is a time to honor the sacrifice and service our men and women in blue make every single day to protect our neighbors and our loved ones. In my district today, unfortunately, we are off to a very sobering start. Last night, two Concho County officers were shot and killed in the line of duty. These officers died protecting their community to the very end, defending the freedoms, values, and safety our country holds so dear. Though we are unable to thank them personally for their sacrifice, we will never stop honoring their legacy, the legacy of service and selflessness. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to their families, friends, colleagues, and community members who are affected by this enormous tragedy and remind all of us of the danger that law enforcement officers put themselves in every single day, willingly, to help our communities. It is time that we stand up and honor them, and thank them for what they do. As a country, I request that we all keep our law enforcement officers in our hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers and that we thank them for what they do.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this unconstitutional measure. Our Founders debated the merits of statehood and a Federal District and rightly concluded that no State should have supremacy over others and enjoy considerable benefits and influence of also being our national headquarters. Our Founders got it right. This measure gets it wrong. If D.C. surrenders the special status of our Federal District and instead becomes one of 51 equals, why should it enjoy all the benefits of also being the Federal District? Perhaps Federal agencies like the Department of Energy or USDA should move to places like west Texas, where we actually produce food and fuel for the Nation and beyond. Ambitions on the political left to expand the Supreme Court and U.S. Senate seats, eliminate the filibuster, and keep three electoral votes for occupants of the White House, all while controlling our election law are about one thing: more power for them. Oppose this unconstitutional measure.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and sacrifice of Mrs. JoAnne Powell, a pillar of the San Angelo community and one of the most distinguished public servants in the U.S. House of Representatives. JoAnne served the constituents of the 11th District of Texas for over 35 years in the San Angelo office. During this time, she solved thousands of cases with Federal agencies, helped thousands of people, and was the eyes and ears of the office on the ground and throughout our district. Her pride and joy in mentoring hundreds of men and women who would later go to service academies truly changed our Nation and our military service. She trained four Congressmen over her tenure: Tom Loeffler, Lamar Smith, Mike Conaway, and now myself. It has been a priceless honor to have her mentorship and her guidance as I begin my journey in Congress. On top of her congressional service, the influence she and her beloved husband, Colonel Powell, have had on our community cannot be overstated. She married her childhood sweetheart, Charles Powell, in December 1954, just months after his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. Charles would go on to become a colonel in the U.S. Air Force and the two would take a long journey and a successful journey in service to this country before settling in San Angelo in 1980 when Colonel Powell became the wing commander of Goodfellow. At that time, the base was scheduled for closure. Both Colonel Powell and JoAnne were instrumental in making sure that that mission of training our intelligence personnel in the Air Force, the Marines, the Army, and the Navy continued to become one of the most important in the United States. When she settled in San Angelo, JoAnne became one of the most involved members of the Concho Valley community and received many honors for serving on boards and for her philanthropic and organizational leadership. She was the epitome of service before self, working hard and handling casework right up until the week before she passed away. She genuinely cared for every single person and showed Christ's love to everybody she encountered. I cannot express how great this loss is to our team and the entire 11th District. JoAnne and Colonel Powell, we will miss you. Honoring Gregorio Gutierrez

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the life and the service of Gregorio Gutierrez, a man with a servant's heart, a strong faith in God, and an unmatched ability to connect with all sorts of people. Born in Mexico, Gregorio came to the United States in 1984; married his wife, Araceli, in 1990; and earned his citizenship in 2000. He followed his passion and founded Conexion San Angelo, the area's first and only bilingual news organization. Since then he has expanded throughout west Texas, and his operation still lives today. He was an amazing man with a strong legacy that will live on through his wife, Araceli; his son, Ricardo; and all who know him. San Angelo has honored Gregorio and his family with Gregorio Gutierrez Day which will fall every year on January 23. His family should be proud of his amazing legacy and his service to the Spanish- speaking community, the members of San Angelo, and all of the Concho Valley. Honoring J.C. Campbell

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of J.C. Campbell, a valued member of the Granbury community who passed away on March 30, 2021. He served our country admirably in the U.S. Navy during the Korean war aboard the USS Frank E. Evans. After coming home, he met and married Sylvia, the love of his life, at North Texas State, and they moved to Granbury in 1960 and have called it home ever since. He has given much of himself to our community with positions on the Granbury City Council, the volunteer fire department, the Granbury Masonic Lodge, the Bluff Dale Lodge, and as president of the USS Frank E. Evans Association, helping to tell the story of the ship he once sailed aboard. He was an incredible friend to students and staff and a regular fixture at school board meetings. He was a mentor to many and known as the community's biggest cheerleader. Madam Speaker, I know his family and friends will miss him terribly, and his loss will be felt deeply in Granbury and throughout the 11th District. Thank you for your service, J.C. Honoring the Lipan Girls Basketball Team

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the Lipan girls basketball team who recently won the AA State Championship in Texas. To Coach Amber Branson and the entire team, congratulations on yet another victory and yet another State championship.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 6. Bringing an amnesty bill to the floor this week in the middle of a complete and total crisis on our southern border is not only tone-deaf; it is wrong. I traveled to the border on Monday and surveyed the facilities, the border, and the environment. It is a mess. Thousands of people are coming across our borders illegally. If we really cared about children, we would be looking at the policies that are incentivizing the drug cartels, the traffickers, the coyotes that are bringing them across, exploiting them in every way. It is heartbreaking. Some wish our Nation harm, including the individuals who have been found out to be on the terror watch list who have been apprehended crossing the border. This bill will only incentivize more illegal crossings. What a week to put this bill to a vote. We cannot begin to address the issues we are facing when our border is broken. I implore my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to work with us in a bipartisan manner to secure the border and then move on.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a Texan, a constitutional conservative, and in strong opposition not only to the amendments but to H.R. 8, a bill that would impose so-called universal background checks and gut the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners throughout this country. We all mourn the loss of innocent lives from gun violence that has happened in my district and in those around the country. No family should ever have to endure such tragic and terrible unnecessary loss. But 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. What will be prevented, though? Your ability to lend your neighbor a firearm if there are reports of break-ins; the ability of your suicidal friend or family member to ask you to remove their firearms from their home; or if a colleague comes to you and says that they are trapped in an abusive relationship and scared for their life, you could face a $100,000 fine or prison time for lending out your gun for self-defense. If we are going to effect real change, we don't need to tack additional restrictions on law-abiding citizens. We need to look at the root causes and have a transparent and open debate here to talk about mental health and the proper enforcement of laws that we already have. This is yet another example of Federal overreach, another example of the erosion of our rights, and a slippery slope that will strip all Americans of our Second Amendment rights as outlined in the Constitution. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on the amendment and the bill.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to H.R. 1, a twisted conglomerate of partisan policies meant to consolidate powers here in Washington, D.C., to fully cement the swamp. This bill bans voter ID requirements nationwide. It permanently expands mail-in voting and legalizes ballot harvesting. Madam Speaker, I am particularly disturbed by the fact that, if this bill passes, taxpayer dollars will be directly funneled to congressional candidates and campaigns. The folks in my district, the 11th District of Texas, absolutely do not approve of their hard-earned dollars paying for TV attack ads of any candidate, much less a candidate they don't support. Madam Speaker, we need real, commonsense reforms to strengthen our election system. H.R. 1 does just the opposite. I urge my colleagues to have this debate, to have a transparent debate, to talk about these issues, and to come to the table for a reasonable, thoughtful debate so that we can get to the real issues that the American people deserve.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in complete opposition to the Democrats' blue State bailout bill. This bill will cost the American taxpayer nearly $2 trillion--let that sit for a second--$2 trillion when our Nation is already $27 trillion in debt. Where does this money go? Surely it will be spent towards fighting the pandemic and COVID. Wrong. Only 9 percent of this money will go towards fighting COVID-19. The rest of the funding is going towards Democrat pet projects, like a subway in Silicon Valley and a bridge in New York. Taxpayers in Texas should absolutely not be rewarding States who have kept their economies shuttered and prevented workers from earning a living. Madam Speaker, for these reasons and more, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no.''

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to both bills. However, I am here to talk about the partisan Federal land grab package. Last week, my home State of Texas endured a harrowing winter storm that wiped out electricity and water for millions of Texans. It devastated homes and businesses and caused irreparable damage to livestock, crops, and industry production across the State. Tragically, some even lost their lives. Our State was under an extreme emergency. Living through that underscored the need for safe, affordable, reliable energy. We absolutely must have a reliable baseload for our energy grids and a level playing field for all forms of energy. The Federal Government cannot pick favorites in energy. What happened in Texas should shake our country into the realization that, as our population grows and our energy needs expand, any move to limit production will have dire consequences on our safety and our national security. Unfortunately, this bill is another step in the vendetta to limit the American energy production. The partisan $1.2 million Federal land grab----

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, the land grab is another Democrat attempt to restrict our country's abundant natural resources under onerous regulations that will kill jobs in the energy industry and put Americans at risk. This is a matter of national security, and I urge my colleagues to vote against this bill and to vote for the safety and energy independence that this country so deserves. Please join me in voting ``no'' for both bills and both rules.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and legacy of my friend, Luke Letlow. Luke and I spoke many times as we both prepared to enter Congress, and we shared the privilege of both representing districts that are centered around a couple of very important things, faith, family and agriculture. I looked forward to serving with him and working together to better the lives of our farmers and our ranchers across the district and across the entire country. Luke led a life of public service to the good people in the great State of Louisiana from a young age, beginning as a young college graduate serving on the staff of Congressman John Cooksey, the Representative of Louisiana's Fifth District at that time. He went on to serve the people in multiple capacities before launching a successful Congressional bid of his own. He was a man of faith in Jesus Christ, and he lived his life in accordance with His guiding principles. There is no way for us to know the thousands of lives that he had already touched before he entered into a plan to run for Congress, and how many lives he touched in those years of service, and the countless others who were blessed just by knowing him. There was nothing that he loved more than serving others and primarily, his love of being a husband and a father, a husband to his wife, Julia, and a father to their two children, Jeremiah and Jacqueline, something that his legacy will live on forever in our hearts. Today, we give glory to God for his life and pause to reflect on that legacy which will live on through Julia, Jeremiah, and Jacqueline. My prayers are with all of them. His passing is a tremendous loss to this U.S. Congress, to the State of Louisiana and, more importantly, to his family and friends who loved him and cherished him.

Mr. PFLUGER

Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise today for the first time as a Member of Congress in complete opposition to the budget reconciliation act. Today, adding almost $2 trillion to the national debt and eliminating 1.3 million jobs is up for a vote. This partisan budget reconciliation package allows President Biden to shove $1.9 trillion of stimulus spending through Congress without any Republican consent. It is a blue State bailout to States who have shut down their business, closed their places of worship, and prevented families from earning an honest living. We don't need bailouts. We need to get back to work. Taxpayers in States like Texas should not be left holding the bag for the failing governments in New York, California, and others who chose to close their economies. Congress just passed a $900 billion stimulus package in December, and over $1 trillion in COVID relief has yet to reach its intended recipients. The U.S. is already over $26 trillion in debt and counting. This is totally unsustainable and will have a disastrous consequence for our economy and future generations. We are talking about the future of our children and our grandchildren. Nothing could be more important in this decision.