Pfluger Leads Letter Urging the Biden Administration to Reverse Lesser Prairie Chicken Designation
Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) led a letter opposing the Biden Administration’s proposal to list the Lesser Prairie Chicken (LPC) under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), a move that will harm the oil and gas industry and production agriculture, the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of workers, and the communities these industries support.
The letter was cosigned by Representative Bruce Westerman, Ranking Member on the House Natural Resources Committee, Representative Yvette Herrell, Representative Dan Newhouse, Chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus, and Representatives Kevin Brady, Doug Lamborn, Lauren Boebert, Scott Perry, Markwayne Mullin, Tracey Mann, Randy Weber, Stephanie Bice, Ronny Jackson, Louie Gohmert, Cliff Bentz, and Michael Cloud.
In the letter, the members highlight that voluntary publicprivate conservation partnerships have been effective in fostering a stable LPC population, more than doubling the population since 2013.
The letter also underscores: “Agriculture and energy production are the foundation and lifeblood of our states. The oil and gas industry contributed $2.8 billion to New Mexico in fiscal year 2020 which equates to 33.5 % of the state’s budget. This funding supports schools, teachers, hospitals, and other public services that New Mexicans rely on. The Permian Basin accounts for more than 35% of total U.S. crude oil production and more than 15% of total U.S. natural gas production. This proposed action will result in significant job losses while diminishing American energy security, forcing us to rely on other countries who do not have our best interests in mind and have less stringent environmental standards. Similarly, U.S. agriculture contributes $7 trillion to the U.S. economy and supports 40 million jobs nationwide.”
Pfluger and Newhouse released the following statements:
“Instead of continuing to successfully work with our local communities and landowners, the Biden Administration has chosen a path that will only lead to more harmful restrictions stemming from a federal overreach,” said Rep. August Pfluger. “Voluntary public-private conservation partnerships for the Lesser Prairie Chicken’s habitat are working as recent surveys indicate that the Lesser Prairie Chicken population has more than doubled since 2013. I am proud to lead this letter to urge the Biden Administration to not list the Lesser Prairie Chicken, which will harm our rural economies and threaten the livelihoods of ag and energy producers.”
Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Dan Newhouse said, “The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision to list the lesser prairie-chicken under the Endangered Species Act ignores the region’s successful, voluntary conservation efforts. For years, conservationists – including farmers and ranchers in the region – have been implementing best practices to ensure recovery of the prairiechicken, and this step by the Biden Administration throws years of hard work and progress out the window. Imposing greater restrictions on states and local communities will not lead to better outcomes for the lesser prairie-chicken, but it will burden the conservation partners we rely on. I am thankful for Rep. Pfluger’s leadership on this important issue to the West.”
Pfluger Resolution to Free Trevor Reed Passes House of Representatives
Tuesday, June 29th, Congressman August Pfluger’s resolution calling for the release of U.S. Marine Corps Veteran Trevor Reed passed the House of Representatives with wide bipartisan support.
“I am incredibly humbled that my first original piece of legislation to pass the House of Representatives is a resolution calling for the immediate release of Trevor Reed of Granbury, a Marine Veteran who is being held as a political prisoner in
Russia,” said Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11). “Today’s vote is a clear condemnation of Vladimir Putin and his regime for Trevor’s corrupt conviction and detainment. We will not tolerate an American citizen being used as a political pawn on the global stage, and I will not stop fighting for Trevor until he is safely back on American soil. The Putin regime must immediately release Trevor Reed and reunite him with his loving family.”
Rep. August Pfluger shares 'heartbreaking' encounter with abandoned migrant boy, 6
Pfluger was among 23 GOP reps who visited Texas border with Trump
In the early morning hours Wednesday, June 30th, at the Texas border, Rep. August Pfluger said he witnessed firsthand the fallout of President Biden's immigration policies when hundreds of migrants entered the U.S. where the border wall with Mexico is unfinished.
Many of the migrants from Central America who were apprehended by United States Customs and Border Protection agents overnight in La Joya, Texas, were families and children, including a six-year-old boy who was found alone in the brush, Pfluger said.
The Texas GOP congressman asked the child where his parents were. The boy replied "I don't know" and revealed he was at the border by himself, Pfluger said.
"It's heartbreaking to see the kids in that situation," Pfluger told Fox News in an interview. "But Biden's policies have incentivized traffickers to do this."
Pfluger was one of 23 House Republicans who traveled to the Texas border Wednesday to join former President Donald Trump and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to raise the alarms about the influx of migrants and drugs coming into the United States. They called on Biden to restore Trump-era immigration policies.
"The bottom line is that the Biden administration does not have the desire to protect Texans," Pfluger said. "They don't have the desire to protect our southern border [and] to secure our citizens. They have taken so many steps back from where we were just a year ago."
Pfluger was stationed late Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning at a portion of the border where the wall stops. The migrants were tagged with wristbands by traffickers to indicate how much money they've paid to get to the border, Pfluger said. The migrants shed the bands when they got to the United States and the congressman picked several of them up as tangible proof of human trafficking.
Pfluger said he spoke with local authorities about the toll the daily churn of migrants seeking refuge in the United States is having on their resources. Another big concern is the drug smuggling that's occurring on the flanks of the checkpoints, he said.
He supports Abbott’s efforts to build the border wall that the Biden administration halted and to marshal law enforcement resources from governors around the country to help secure the border.
"The federal government abdicated their responsibility to protect the United States southern border, so Texas is going to defend the southern border," Pfluger said. "Governor Abbott's taking steps to do that."
The GOP border trip was organized by the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House.