Pfluger Votes to Reopen Government, Slams 'Hostage-Taking' Tactics

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11) released the following statement after voting in favor of the Senate amended package of five full-year appropriations bills to fund the government through regular order. 

These head to President Trump's desk to be signed into law. This package also includes a two-week continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security. The two-week stopgap measure gives Congress and the White House time to continue negotiations on a final spending bill.

"Today, I voted to reopen the government," Pfluger stated. "I've been clear from the start: holding the government hostage over DHS funding was unacceptable and should have never happened. At a time when millions of Americans are still recovering from a severe winter storm, shutting down FEMA and other essential government services was reckless. The Senate Democrats' obstruction forced an unnecessary crisis that hurt the people we serve. Moving forward, I am open to discussing ways to improve DHS operations, and I remain committed to ensuring the department has the resources needed to carry out its critical mission of keeping our communities safe. Political games and hostage-taking are not how we govern—we resolve our differences through regular order, not by withholding critical resources from the American people."