Latest news with #Pfluger
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Rising antisemitic violence, terror attacks in US spur House Homeland Security Committee hearing
EXCLUSIVE: A GOP lawmaker on the House's Homeland Security Committee is spearheading a hearing on growing antisemitic violence in the U.S. in response to recent attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and Washington, D.C. These attacks are not outliers, according to the chairman of the committee's counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. He has scheduled a hearing for June 11 to examine the rise of anti-Israel terrorist attacks within the American homeland. "From harassment of Jewish students and calls to 'Globalize the Intifada,' to arson against the Jewish governor of Pennsylvania and the cold-blooded execution of two young Israeli Embassy staffers in our nation's capital – the heinous attack in Boulder this Sunday is part of a disturbing pattern, not an isolated incident," Pfluger said in a Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital. "Antisemitic violence and harassment will not, and cannot, remain unchecked in the United States of America – whether it's on college campuses or in our communities." "In the wake of the foreign policy failures and open-border policies of the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with state and local law enforcement, must be prepared to meet the moment as we face an increasingly complex threat landscape at home and abroad," he said. "Congress must ensure the United States remains a bastion of freedom for all, and that our Jewish neighbors can live free from hatred and persecution." Among those who will appear at the hearing is Kerry Sleeper, the deputy director for intelligence and information sharing with the Secure Community Network. The group is the largest Jewish security organization in North America. Sleeper oversees its 24/7 operations of the National Jewish Security Operations Command Center, which coordinates intelligence with agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the FBI. Pfluger has previously sounded the alarm about antisemitic violence and other terror threats that jeopardize the safety of U.S. citizens. For example, he reintroduced legislation in February, known as the Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act, which would require DHS to conduct assessments each year evaluating the threat terrorist groups like ISIS and Hamas pose to the U.S. through the use of foreign cloud-based mobile or desktop messaging applications. The measure has received bipartisan support, and Democratic Rep. Jimmy Panetta of California is a co-sponsor. Pfluger's hearing comes not long after a gunman opened fire and killed two Israeli Embassy employees in Washington in May. A pro-Palestinian man, identified as 31-year-old Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was arrested in connection with the case, according to authorities. Likewise, Sunday's terrorist attack in Colorado left a dozen people injured – including a Holocaust survivor – during an event organized by Run for Their Lives, a grassroots group that holds events urging the release of Israeli hostages. The suspect in the attack, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, first entered the U.S. under the Biden administration and had overstayed his visa, multiple Department of Homeland Security sources first told Fox News. Soliman, 45, allegedly yelled "Free Palestine" and used a makeshift flamethrower to conduct that attack, according to law enforcement officials. Lawmakers and intelligence experts have long warned about foreign terrorists entering the U.S. and conducting attacks against American citizens. For example, Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, then-chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and House Homeland Security Committee Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., warned of such terror threats in August 2024, following the release of a report from House Judiciary Committee Republicans that determined the Biden administration released nearly 100 illegal immigrants on the terrorist watch list. "Since the Biden-Harris Administration's failed open border policies have welcomed potential terrorists into our nation, we're working to combat these threats and safeguard Americans in their own backyards," Turner and Green said in a joint statement in August 2024 in response to the report. The FBI has voiced similar concerns. "I have warned for some time now about the threat that foreign terrorists may seek to exploit our southwest border or some other port of entry to advance a plot against Americans," former FBI Director Christopher Wray told the House Judiciary Committee in April 2024. "Just last month, for instance, the Bureau and our joint terrorism task forces worked with ICE in multiple cities across the country as several individuals with suspected international terrorist ties were arrested using ICE's immigration authorities."
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Power The Future recognizes Pfluger as April 2025 Energy Champion
May 21—WASHINGTON, D.C. — Power The Future is proud to announce Congressman August Pfluger is their April 2025 Energy Champion. Congressman Pfluger demonstrates unwavering commitment to American energy dominance and served as the leading voice to repeal the Biden Administration's natural gas tax. His work delivered a significant victory for American energy workers and working families. His leadership continues to reinforce the importance of affordable and reliable energy as the cornerstone of national and economic strength, a news release said. "Congressman Pfluger not only stood against the flood of attacks and incompetence that was the Biden Administration and the green movement, he also masterfully repealed the natural gas tax within the first 100 days of the new administration," said Daniel Turner, Founder and Executive Director for Power The Future. "Congressman Pfluger understands that energy isn't just policy-it's people. We need more leaders with his common sense and his courage."
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pfluger secures big wins in the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill'
May 14—WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday advanced a strong, commonsense reconciliation bill after over twenty-six hours of debate. Upon passage, Rep. Pfluger released the following statement. "After over twenty-six hours of Democrat distractions, falsehoods, and baseless debate, Energy and Commerce Republicans stayed focused on delivering real, commonsense results for the American people. We have now completed our part in advancing President Trump's agenda through the 'One, Big, Beautiful Bill.' This package ends wasteful spending on woke Green New Deal-style programs, secures American energy dominance to support the rapid innovation of American industry, and preserves and protects Medicaid for all vulnerable Texans and Americans who truly need it. This legislation also expands rural connectivity through smart spectrum policy while safeguarding national security interests. Through these commonsense policies, we're building a stronger, more secure America for generations to come." Among the many Republican-backed victories supported by Pfluger in this legislation, this bill includes several key priorities Pfluger has specifically championed, which will directly benefit Texans and all Americans alike: Energy Wins: — Expedited LNG Exports (Section 41003) — Expedites approvals by deeming applications to non-free trade countries "in the public interest" upon payment of a $1 million fee, eliminating a previously lengthy review process. This streamlining preserves existing legal and regulatory authorities while potentially reducing approval timelines from years to months. This directly aligns with Pfluger's bill to strengthen energy leadership and expand LNG exports. — Natural Gas Permitting Reform (Section 41005) — Creates a voluntary expedited permitting pathway with guaranteed timelines, requiring agencies to complete reviews within one year of fee payment ($10M or 1% of project cost). If review deadlines are missed, applications are automatically approved, and legal challenges are limited. This provision advances Pfluger's permitting reform priority and provides greater certainty for major energy projects. — Strategic Petroleum Reserve Funding (Section 41008) — Provides a $2 billion appropriation for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR), including $218 million for cavern repairs, $1.32 billion for oil purchases, and directs the remaining funds to reverse prior mandated sales. This targeted investment strengthens U.S. energy security and reserve readiness and directly supports Pfluger's priority to refill the SPR. Environment Wins: — Air Pollution Monitoring Limitation (Section 42105) — Repeals and rescinds unobligated funds from IRA Section 60105, which had allocated $281.5 million to the EPA for expanding air quality monitoring networks. This reduces the EPA's ability to identify new non-attainment zones, limiting additional regulatory burdens. This acts on Pfluger's priority to protect the Permian Basin from costly regulatory designations that could impact energy producers. — Methane Emissions Program Delay (Section 42113) — Extends the timeline for the Methane Emissions Reduction Program charges by an additional 10 years. This extension reinforces Pfluger's success with his legislation that President Trump signed into law earlier this year. It also supports his position against the immediate implementation of the harmful program's current requirements. Healthcare Wins: — Affordable Care Act Exchange Reforms (Section 44201) — Amends the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) definition of "lawfully present" to exclude Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients. This change counters the Biden Administration's May 2024 rule, which expanded ACA eligibility to include DACA recipients, a move with potential legal and financial implications. This aligns with Rep. Pfluger's previous Congressional Review Act efforts to prevent ACA expansion to DACA recipients.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pfluger hosts the 2025 Pfluger Student Leadership Conference
May 13—KILEEN — Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) hosted 8th-grade students from Killeen ISD at Texas A&M University-Central Texas for the 2025 Pfluger Student Leadership Conference in Killeen last week. The conference featured personnel from NASA and Fort Cavazos. It also included a static display tour, a NASA space suit presentation, a leadership dialogue between Pfluger and Lt. General Kevin Admiral, comments from Glenn Hegar, the incoming Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, and more. "It was wonderful spending the day with so many young and inspiring leaders who want to make a difference in our communities. Our students are the future of this nation, and it is incredibly important to facilitate experiences like this for them. I sincerely appreciate everyone who took the time to speak at the conference, and those who helped make the day possible," Pfluger said in a news release.
The Star
12-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
US House approves restrictions on partnerships between US and Chinese universities
A Republican bill that could severely restrict partnerships between American and Chinese universities passed the full US House of Representatives with bipartisan support on Wednesday, while policymakers also signalled interest in limits on other possible Chinese threats to US national security. The bill, which would prevent US universities from receiving Department of Homeland Security funding if they 'have a relationship' with certain Chinese universities, including those tied to China's top science institute, advanced 266-153, with only Democrats voting against it. It would need to pass the full Senate before it could be sent to US President Donald Trump for signing into law. Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team. 'It's been proven that the [Chinese Communist Party] does use programmes like Confucius Institutes not to build bridges or promote culture, as they may say, but to expand their influence inside the United States for malign purposes,' Representative August Pfluger, the Texas Republican who is the bill's primary sponsor, said on the floor on Wednesday. Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, spoke in support of the bill but also warned of its potential overreach. 'House Democrats do not want to see legitimate academic activity between the United States and China hindered,' he said. Pfluger's bill follows numerous congressional efforts to decouple US-China educational cooperation because of national security concerns. In March, Representative John Moolenaar, the Michigan Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, sent letters to Stanford and five other universities seeking information about their policies on Chinese nationals. Already, several US academic research giants, including the University of Michigan and Georgia Tech, have responded to pressure from lawmakers by announcing plans to sever partnerships with Chinese institutions. Pfluger's bill would blacklist a broad array of Chinese universities from cooperation, including any that participate in China's military industrial base or provide support to any security, defence, police or intelligence organisation in China. The blacklist would also apply to Chinese universities that 'purposely undermine' the US relationship with Taiwan as well as to any affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the country's top institute for natural sciences. Critics of the bill have raised concern that it would apply to virtually any Chinese university and thus affect US-China partnerships unrelated to national security. Thompson, for example, had joined 160 other Democrats in opposing an earlier version that lacked a waiver process. The revised bill that advanced Wednesday includes a waiver process to let the Homeland Security secretary exempt US schools that show 'robust safeguards and enforcement protocols to monitor the relationship' with the Chinese institution. The waiver process would apply if the relationship is either found to be in the interest of national security or does not pose a security risk to the US or its allies. Once a waiver is granted, the Homeland Security secretary would be required to notify Congress and provide a justification. The earlier version of the bill passed the full House in September but did not become law before the end of the congressional session in January. Democrats who previously voted against the bill have said that the waiver was crucial to garnering their support this time. Still, not all were satisfied, with Representative Judy Chu, a California Democrat, saying the bill put an 'unreasonable' burden on universities already facing pressure from the Trump administration. 'Universities are expected to ask for a waiver from the same administration that is continually threatening their federal funding and their tax-exempt status,' she said on the House floor. 'The real goal of the legislation is to completely sever academic relations with institutions in China,' she added. Also on Wednesday, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told a House appropriations subcommittee that her department was working on a federal plan to limit Chinese ownership of US farmland. The administration, she said, was finishing measures that would be announced 'in the next couple of weeks' to complement restrictions already enacted by numerous states. 'We are building out the federal solution,' Rollins said, adding that it was needed to provide consistency across state lines and to reinforce existing laws. 'It is a national security issue of the greatest priority.' More than 20 states have passed legislation since early 2023 restricting foreign land ownership, often targeting Chinese nationals or companies. Rollins said her department was working with governors in states like South Dakota, Arkansas and Virginia, where laws have already been passed to block foreign adversaries from buying agricultural land. Supporters argued that the laws are necessary to protect food supply chains and limit foreign access near US military bases. Opponents of the laws warn that they risk violating constitutional protections and might encourage discrimination. Several of the states are facing legal challenges. A Florida statute that bans many Chinese citizens from buying property near sensitive sites is under federal court review. Plaintiffs argued it violated equal protection and due process rights – and is pre-empted by federal authority over foreign investment. Federal data show that Chinese entities hold less than 0.03 per cent of all privately owned US farmland. But Rollins said the security implications of specific locations outweighed the numbers. 'Working with the states, ensuring they're getting what they need to pass the legislation ... is of key importance,' she said. During the hearing, Representative Dan Newhouse, Republican of Washington state, called Chinese farmland acquisitions 'a really concerning trend' that had increased 'substantially' over the past decade. More from South China Morning Post: For the latest news from the South China Morning Post download our mobile app. Copyright 2025.
