I believe it is more common these days to see commentary that is critical of a politician’s activities in public office, as opposed to one being vocalized that is supportive, and to be fair for good reason.
Politicians, especially at the federal level, overall do a terrible job at governing. One only needs to look at the consistently increasing national debt to make that case.
However, we the people may have slipped into a self-defeating cycle that fails to signal to our representatives when they are doing a good job, and this is important for many reasons – not only to give them a better sense of direction of how to govern but also let them know their public service is noticed and appreciated.
Congressman Pfluger’s work of late has not gone unnoticed, and I believe it deserving of that recognition.
Texas’ 11th Congressional District is comprised of all or parts of 29 counties that constitute one of the most conservative Republican districts in the nation, and the election to represent the district consisted of a large field of candidates all running on issues important to the overwhelming Republican majority constituency.
While Republicans understandably cannot do a lot as the minority party in the House of Representatives, Pfluger hasn’t decided to twiddle his thumbs until the midterms.
Of course, one of the most basic characteristics in a good representative is accessibility, and Pfluger is making a high score on that test with having already held over 40 town halls across his district in his first year in office, and that isn’t counting the multitude of other events such as business and civic club meetings.
But let’s talk policy shop.
The Biden Administration’s absolute disastrous handling of the withdrawal of American forces in Afghanistan has given Pfluger a unique opportunity to not only work on holding the White House accountable for erroneous decisions, but he has deployed his staff and connections working to extract Americans and our allies (who were disgracefully abandoned) out of harm’s way. His past military background comes in handy in this regard.
It appears the White House is intent on keeping him busy because on the heels of the Afghanistan crisis he was then responding to the crisis on Texas’s southern border and was one of the few lawmakers that I saw to do so in person.
Pfluger and his team were on the ground where thousands of migrants poured across the Rio Grande unchecked and unchallenged, causing a significant humanitarian crisis and national security danger.
It is important for lawmakers to see these issues firsthand, and to listen to the front-line law enforcement officers who risk their lives every day in dangerous circumstances.
That is where you will best learn what needs to be done to address the border, not from national media outlets or anyone in Washington.
Pfluger’s attention and concern regarding the permit to store high-level nuclear waste in Andrews County is also appreciated. Whether you’re for or against the high-level waste, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been completely deaf to nearly every elected official from local, state, and federal who have taken a stance against the issuance of this permit, and it is my understanding that Pfluger is continuing to work on bringing accountability to the bureaucracy.
Lastly, the congressman has been bringing good programs and opportunities to the districts that are relevant to his conservative constituency.
Just this past week, Pfluger joined Congressman Devin Nunes on stage with director Amanda Milius to discuss the documentary movie “The Plot Against the President,” which is a recap on the Mueller investigation and shows how infamous “Steele Dossier” had a very questionable point of origin. Not to mention that the dossier was completely “debunked.”
The very next day after the documentary event, Pfluger was joined with the firebrand Congresswoman from Colorado, Lauren Boebert for a gun-rights rally in Midland.
As I mentioned Republicans are fairly limited on what they can do in the House while Speaker Pelosi rules over the chamber for another year, the key will be finding creative ways to be effective during the interim, and I applaud Congressman Pfluger’s efforts to this end so far.
When Republicans take control of the chamber in the midterms, there will be an entirely new challenge that he will face for the first time, such as holding the line on deficit spending and other major issues.
Until then, keep up the hard work congressman, and know that your service is noticed, and appreciated.