On June 16, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) released the following statement celebrating that his office was selected as the Congressional Management Foundation's 2026 Democracy Award winner for Best of Innovation and Modernization: 'Over the past year, my office has implemented new processes behind the scenes to streamline our workflows and better serve the constituents of Texas's 11th District. The results speak for themselves: 4,987 cases closed and over $20 million returned to the people we serve. This award reflects the hard work of my entire team, who are always looking for smarter, more efficient ways to help constituents get the help they need. Thank you to CMF for this award, and my office looks forward to building on this progress in the years ahead.'
Jen Daulby, CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, said, “Innovation is most meaningful when it helps an office serve constituents more effectively and make better use of its resources. Rep. Pfluger’s office demonstrated exactly that, thoughtfully integrating artificial intelligence and redesigning workflows to improve operations and free staff to focus on higher-value work. What they created isn’t simply a promising experiment, it’s a practical model for how congressional offices can embrace innovation while strengthening their core mission.'
Background:
The Congressional Management Foundation's (CMF) Democracy Awards is a signature program recognizing the best in congressional non-legislative achievement. These nonpartisan awards celebrate Members of Congress and their staff who exemplify outstanding public service, operational excellence, and innovative practices that strengthen our democracy.
Each year, congressional offices self-nominate for the Democracy Awards during an open nomination period. Offices complete category-specific nomination surveys and provide additional supplementary materials, which are evaluated by CMF staff. Following this initial evaluation, Democracy Awards winners are selected by an independent selection committee.
The Best of Innovation and Modernization award, received by Rep. Pfluger's office, recognizes offices that have implemented innovative strategies or tools to enhance operational efficiency, constituent services, internal processes, or modernization of the institution. A winner in this category showcases innovation that has driven meaningful improvements, making the congressional office more responsive, efficient, and modernized in its work. As a result, Rep. Pfluger's office has closed 5,000 cases and returned over $20 million to constituents in Texas-11.
Last year, Rep. Pfluger's office received the Best of Constituent Correspondence and Outreach award, which recognizes the highest standards in constituent communication.
A full list of the 2026 Democracy Awards winners can be found on the CMF website. (https://www.congressfoundation. org/democracy-awards)
Editor's note: From this website, we see that Rep. Pfluger's Chief of Staff, John Byers, was awarded the Chief of Staff of the Year. This award acknowledges the remarkable leadership of a tenured Chief of Staff who has demonstrated outstanding management, strategic vision, and exceptional ability to support the work of their Member of Congress. The recipient of this award is a highly effective team leader who successfully navigates challenges, builds a strong office culture, and ensures the smooth functioning of both legislative operations and constituent services. In addition, the recipient of this award works not just in service of their office, but in service to the Congress, working to improve the institution to leave it better for future Members and staff than they found it. Please note that only chiefs of staff may nominate other chiefs of staff for this position.