Pfluger, McCarthy: We Must Bring Reed and Whelan Home
Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) and Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy released the following statement after President Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and discussed the release of two Americans, Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan:
“Trevor and Paul’s imprisonment has been politically motivated, legally dubious, and ethically questionable. Their loved ones deserve answers, accountability, and most importantly, confidence in the knowledge that they will soon be safely reunited. We will continue to put pressure on the Biden administration to demand their immediate release, because as history has proven, Putin cannot be trusted. It’s time to bring Trevor and Paul home.”
Background
On March 17, 2021, Pfluger and McCarthy held a bicameral press conference with U.S. Senator John Cornyn and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Michael McCaul, as well as Trevor’s parents, Paula and Joey Reed, highlighting H.Res. 186, their resolution calling for Trevor’s immediate release.
On June 15, 2021, Pfluger and McCarthy sent a bipartisan, bicameral letter with nearly 50 lawmakers to President Biden in advance of his meeting with Putin urging President Biden to demand the release of Trevor Reed and Paul Whelan during the summit.
Pfluger Introduces Bill to Seal Criminal Cross-Border Tunnels
Monday, June 28th, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) introduced The Illicit Border Tunnel Defense Act, a measure to secure the southern border by directing Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to develop a plan to counteract illegal underground tunnels under the U.S.-Mexico border.
“In addition to the mass surge of illegal border crossings aboveground, there are over 230 underground crossborder tunnels that drug cartels and traffickers are using to smuggle copious amounts of narcotics, weapons, and cash back and forth across our southern border,” said Congressman August Pfluger. “U.S. Border Patrol is aware of an increasing number of these tunnels but lacks the appropriate resources to close and counteract them. This legislation ensures that Border Patrol agents will have the plan and tools they need to seal these tunnels and defend American communities.”
“I spent time at the southern border serving as an organized crime prosecutor and can tell you cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) will stop at nothing to cash in on their drug trade,” said Rep. John Katko (R-NY), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. “They are utilizing complex, advanced tunnel systems to smuggle mass-amounts of illicit drugs into the country, which eventually end up in our communities. I applaud Congressman Pfluger for leading this effort to address and stop these robust attempts to circumvent our border security system.”