March 3, 2023

The Biden Administration recently delivered a ruling to allow 401 (k) investment managers to put money in so-called Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investments without their employee’s consent.

These ESG funds politically favor stocks of companies that promote a far-left agenda, such as environmental extremism, employee training based on Critical Race Theory, and more.

The consequences of this rule will be dire—with financial companies making business decisions based on a social and political agenda instead of the best interests of their shareholders and clients. It will raise energy costs and jeopardize the savings of millions of Americans.

Republicans in the House, and even several Democrats in the Senate, passed a measure this week to nullify this ESG rule and protect the retirement accounts of Americans.

Unfortunately, President Biden has indicated that he will issue his first veto of his presidency to protect this woke ESG agenda.

This will be his legacy—putting an extreme agenda over the savings accounts of Americans. We will not accept it.

This week, I honored Draco Miller, a beloved member of the Brownwood, Texas community, in a speech on the Floor of the U.S. House of Representatives.

He will be greatly missed, but his legacy lives on. I ask for your continued prayers for his family and our entire Brownwood community.

Click here or below to watch my remarks.

Agriculture production is becoming increasingly digitalized. As a result, these technologies are subject to increasingly dangerous cybersecurity attacks.

This week I am proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to assist farmers and ranchers in securing their technology, equipment, and hardware. This bill will also create a specialized helpline for producers seeking advice on preventative security measures or help responding to a ransomware attack.

We must protect our critical agriculture producers and food supply from bad actors and cyberattacks.

I’m proud to represent Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, which trains thousands of military intelligence professionals and firefighters from every branch of the U.S. military. It was an honor to welcome them to Washington, D.C. this week as they spread the word about the good work they’re doing at the base and in our San Angelo community.

The Supreme Court this week began hearing oral arguments for President Biden’s $400 Billion student loan bailout program that he promised to his voters in the lead-up to the 2022 election.

These loans are not forgiven—they will be paid for by you, the American taxpayer. To make matters even worse, the President is attempting to justify his actions by exploiting the HEROES Act—legislation meant to assist service members and veterans in the wake of 2001.

I signed an amicus brief with 126 House Republicans arguing that his bailout is unconstitutional—the President does not have the authority to unilaterally bailout student loans. Full text of the brief is available here.

House Republicans are fighting back against President Biden’s war on American energy.

This week, my bill to STRIKE President Biden’s new tax on American energy producers was adopted by the Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Minerals.

It will now go before the full committee for debate and a vote. Read more about the bill here.

Israel is America’s strongest ally in the Middle East. They face complex threats from bad actors like Iran and others that make their defense systems critical to security. In 2025, they will receive the KC-46 refueling aircraft, which will play an important role in defending Israel from increasing threats from Iran.

Senator Marco Rubio and I introduced legislation this week to help train Israeli pilots now before they receive the aircraft, ensuring Israel can use these planes to deter Iran and other aggressors as soon as possible.

As a former fighter pilot, I can personally attest to the extensive training that is required for pilots—especially when it comes to complex aircraft like the KC-46.

The Biden Administration’s FDA recently made chemical abortion drugs available to purchase at the pharmacy or online.

This reckless policy is the latest in a long line of decisions by the FDA that have put the profits of abortion industry over both federal law and the health and safety of mothers and babies who are directly threatened by chemical abortion drugs.

The American people deserve better from their government, especially when it comes to protecting innocent lives and prioritizing women’s health and safety.

Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and I are demanding the FDA reverse their ruling and pull this dangerous drug off the market.

Read our op-ed in the Hill here or below.

Communist Party (CCP)-directed tech companies, like ByteDance, Alibaba, Tiandy, and more provide the technological equipment used by the CCP to commit genocide against Uyghurs and other predominantly ethnic groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

Further troubling is the fact that these companies’ products are being used by other authoritarian regimes. To hold these companies responsible for their human rights abuses, I joined U.S. Senator Marco Rubio in introducing the Uyghur Human Rights Sanctions Review Act. Our bill makes it clear that American companies will not be complicit in these atrocious human rights violations.

The United States should not enable Chinese surveillance companies that help the Chinese Communist Party track and monitor dissidents, harvest genomic data, and torture ethnic and religious minorities.

It was great to meet with Texas Credit Union professionals from across the state— including Midland and Odessa—in Washington D.C.

Credit unions serve their local communities by helping families purchase their first home, finance their child’s education, or get a small business get on its feet.

The first duty of a leader is showing up.

Kudos to the high school students from around the district who took the time on a Saturday to attend the first annual Pfluger Students Leadership Conference! These bright young men and women were attentive and engaged, and provided incredible questions and feedback. I couldn’t be more proud and excited for our countries future.

Thank you to Angelo State University for hosting us, and thank you to our dynamic speakers—ASU President Ronnie Hawkins, Ector County Judge Dustin Fawcett, Dr. Kathy Crockett, Julie Schniers, and the University panel!

The People’s House is Open!

Thanks to the new Republican majority in the House of Representatives, the U.S. Capitol is back OPEN for tours! I would love to see you in Washington—book a tour on my website here.

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