U.S. House District 11 Congressman-Elect August Pfluger, who will be sworn in Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, was recently interviewed by KOXE radio as he prepares to take over for Mike Conaway.
Pfluger, who was in Washington, D.C. during the call-in interview, stated he was, “going through the process of getting ready to serve, building an office and team and making sure there are no interruptions especially when it comes to constituent services throughout the district. We’ll have a team that’s ready to hit the ground running at full speed, which is exactly what we’re going to do.”
Pfluger further elaborated on the process of joining the U.S. House.
“As we all know there’s a lot going on in Washington and the environment right now is pretty tense,” Pfluger said. “Coming in as a newly elected Congressman, we’re wading through that. I will say, speaking for what the Republicans have done to onboard the new members – and by the way we have 43 new members in this incoming class, people from all over the country, the most diverse class in the history of the Republican party with more women, minorities, and veterans that are coming to serve – they’ve done a great job of getting us in a position where we now have offices in D.C., we’re building our teams and getting an understanding of what the important issues are.”
A smooth transition from Conaway’s office to the Pfluger office is among his top priorities at the moment.
“In District 11, which is 29 counties, they’ve been focused on making sure we can transition without any hiccups or friction or anything like that, which is what Mike Conaway and his staff have been able to do to make sure that on Jan. 3 that when we swear in, that we’re able to provide the same services that were provided previously,” Pfluger said.
Pfluger is the only member from the 117th freshman class in the United States House to serve on a steering committee.
“My colleagues put their trust in me and it’s a nice honor,” Pfluger said. “But the most important thing is to continue to provide those services, that we represent the district, and there are multiple things right now that are causing me a lot of concern, from oil and gas and the rhetoric we hear, to repealing some of the tax reforms that were done over the last four years. Those just highlight a couple of issues I see as a full frontal assault on some of our conservative values.”
Pfluger believes that fact that he will be new to the U.S. House will not affect his ability to an impact.
“The fact that folks say you’re just a freshman and not able to get anything done, the bigger fact right now is we’re still the minority,” Pfluger said, referencing the Republican Party. “Even though that margin is thin, it’s the narrowest margin for the Democratic party in over 100 years, it’s going to be a much different two-year period than it was in the previous two years. They’re not going to have the luxury of a bully pulpit like they did.”
Pfluger further elaborated about issues that cause the greatest concern for him.
“My No. 1 goal is to make sure we combat things, whether it’s the Green New Deal or things that don’t take into account that energy security is national security, agriculture security and food security is national security,” Pfluger said. “Those are things we already have lined up to make sure we can protect those industries because I truly believe that has allowed our country to be prosperous and further our power around the world.”
Back home, Pfluger said he will maintain the same district offices that Conaway had, including one in Brownwood.
“We’re going to keep the same office in Brownwood and throughout the district,” Pfluger said. “We’re very excited to keep those open. Most Congressional districts only have one district office, we have six and we’re blessed to have those six to provide those services and make sure when folks have concerns, when they need help, when they throw an idea out there that might help with legislation, that is exactly why we have those offices out there and we encourage people to use those services. So Jan. 3 when we do our swearing in, that’s a Sunday, but on Monday, Jan. 4 that office will be open and ready to go to provide those services and that’s very important to us.”
In regard to the swearing in ceremony itself, Pfluger said, “It’s going to be in D.C. at the Capitol and because of COVID pandemic and the restrictions it will be a pretty limited crowd from what I understand. I don’t know too many details other than the fact that we will take an oath of office, I talked about that oath many times, I’ve taken it in the military to protect and defend the Constitution, so at that point in time where we raise our hands and do the oath, then I’m going to make sure from that point forward we are representing the greatest district in this country with integrity and character.”
Pfluger concluded the interview by thanking those in Brownwood and the surrounding area for their support.
“First of all, I’m thankful for the trust and the confidence to me and my family to serve you. That’s our No. 1 goal and objective and the reason that we did this,” Pfluger said. “Second, we’re going through some tough times right now as a country, there are things that are causing me concern, we are still fighting right now and fighting in the Supreme Court to make sure the elections going forward are fair, transparent and are done in a way that we have confidence in them. We will continue to fight, I will be a part of that, have been a part of that and will continue to do everything possible so that the American people and the people in District 11 all have that confidence in our elections and our system. I truly believe we are the greatest country in the world, and that the exceptionalism that has gotten us to the this point needs to be protected, so I’m going to keep fighting for that.”