United States Representative August Pfluger, representing Texas’ 11th Congressional District comprised of 20 counties in west and central Texas including San Saba County, spoke at the April 2nd San Saba Rotary Club meeting at Pepperbelly’s restaurant.
Pfluger spoke about his unwavering support for agriculture and energy production, two sectors of the economy important in his constituent counties, and his great respect for the independent spirit and work ethic of the residents of those counties. He also discussed his past service as a pilot in our armed services and his first-hand observations of the problems caused by uncontrolled, illegal immigration at our southern border.
Turning to the present, Pfluger discussed his support for the US House of Representatives passing legislation that would fund the entire Department of Homeland Security, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol, rather than through an indirect, more obscure method of funding most of DHS but not ICE and Border Patrol and relying upon the practice of reconciliation to transfer monies to fund the latter. He spoke about the importance of the different branches of the federal government protecting and carrying out their legal duties, with Congress vested with the power of the purse, the power to appropriate monies to fund government.
On the theme of respect for and enforcing the rule of law, Pfluger emphasized his support for lawful immigration and the important roles that immigrants from other countries play in supporting our economy. He spoke of the important roles that ICE and Border Patrol play in ensuring that immigration into the country is lawful and the necessity to have them properly funded.
At the end of his remarks, Pfluger spoke about a proposed 765 kV electric transmission line that would cross over his congressional district. While he made clear the authorization and locating of the line is primarily a state and local matter, Pfluger described the concerns that constituents have expressed to him about the line and urged that the line be located on or next to existing lines or major thoroughfares so as to minimize invasive impact on rural land.