Pfluger blames ‘petty politics’ for government shutdown, urges bipartisan action

BIG COUNTRY, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – District 11 U.S. House Representative August Pfluger weighed in on the recent government shutdown, calling it an example of “petty politics” and urging bipartisan cooperation to reopen federal operations.

At 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, October 1, the U.S. government officially shut down after Congress failed to pass funding. Pfluger criticized Democrats for blocking a budget bill that he said had already passed the House and was signed by President Biden.

“We knew that this deadline was coming. This wasn’t a surprise to us. This is exactly why Mike Johnson put a vote on the floor over two weeks ago to continue the funding for the government, to get us into November, where we can continue to work on our appropriations and get a real budget passed. We passed that with every single Republican in the House and only one Democrat,” Pfluger explained.

He said Senate Democrats rejected the bill, making what he described as demands for expanded Medicaid for undocumented immigrants, permanent COVID-era subsidies, and reversing government efficiencies.

“They basically wrote a ransom letter to President Trump and said, We want you to go back on the bill that you passed in July, and we want to give illegal aliens Medicaid in places like New York and California,” Pfluger added.

On the possibility of bipartisan efforts to end the shutdown, Pfluger pointed to his legislative record.

“Every single bill, many of which have been signed into law by the President of the United States, has been bipartisan. I’m not talking one or two votes. I’m talking 30, 40, 50 votes. So that’s step one,” Plfuger said. “Step two is this divisiveness, and it’s really a hatred for President Trump that Democrats just can’t seem to get over. When will we put the nation and the safety and security and prosperity of the nation above these politics? Is really the question. I think my voting record is clear. I’ve done that. I will continue to do that, and I’m calling on Democrats to do the same thing, come to the table. Let’s be bigger than the petty differences that may exist.”

Pfluger also suggested a structural change during shutdowns: only budget-related legislation should be allowed. He compared federal operations to local governments, saying city councils would face consequences if they failed to pass budgets on time.

“I mean, think about Abilene and San Angelo and Midland and Odessa, the city councils and the county governments. They would get thrown out of office if they weren’t actually doing the work of passing something that they don’t spend more than they take in, and they’re doing it on time. That’s what needs to happen in the federal government. We’ve gotten to a point where the government is too bloated. It’s too expansive, and I think Mike Johnson is doing a nice job by just saying, let’s just pass a clean resolution and give ourselves six weeks to go do the work of looking into the appropriations packages,” Pfluger shared.

He highlighted government efficiency initiatives and questioned current spending practices, citing both Republican efforts and President Trump’s review of federal employees and programs.

“Doge was a start to that. We will continue that effort,” Pfluger said. “President Trump has furthered it by saying, I’m going to ask questions about who is in the government, what they’re doing, and what that return on investment is, and that’s the right question that all of us should be asking.”

Pfluger also referenced the 1990s efficiency efforts under Democrat Bill Clinton, noting the media’s coverage at the time.

“In the 1990s, the Washington Post and The New York Times heralded his efforts by saying, Look at the responsible way that Bill Clinton is acting. He cut over 300,000 government jobs. Where’s the liberal media on that subject today? We need them involved to ask the same question that we are asking. Why are we being demonized for asking these questions?” Pfluger asked.

He criticized the expansion of COVID-era premium tax credits and emphasized the need for discussions on eligibility and income limits.

“It’s completely irresponsible. What happened during that era, as they were supposed to sunset, we know the rest of the story that they were expanded, extended,” Pfluger shared. “But if we were to negotiate, why don’t we just ask the question, how much is too much income for somebody to make to claim these emergency COVID-19 Premium credits? Where we just have a reasonable conversation, and those have not been able to happen, and I think Republicans are more than willing to have those conversations. We just can’t get Democrats to the table for it.”

To keep constituents informed, Pfluger has hosted town halls and distributed a newsletter, the Pfluger Flyby. He said his office was recently recognized as the top congressional office for communication.

“We were just selected as the top office in Congress of all 435 representatives for communication, and so we’re going to continue to do that,” Pfluger explained. “We rely heavily on hearing from constituents, on keeping in touch, whether it’s a town hall or phone calls. But you know, we have six offices, Midland and Odessa San Angelo and Brownwood, Colleen and Llano. Those offices are open. We are ready to help. It’s a pleasure to be able to help so many people and to have those conversations about what you need and how we can advocate for you.”