Odessan Robert Novak said he expected a typical politician meet and greet when Congressman August Pfluger (R-San Angelo) invited his constituents to coffee on Thursday at DoughBoy’s Cafe.
Novak received a little different experience.
The lifelong Odessan had a one-on-one conversation with Pfluger as Novak aired concerns he has that he hopes Pfluger can take back to Washington.
“He will talk to anybody,” Novak said about Pfluger. “He’ll share your thoughts and ideas and let you know what’s going on.
“Everything that I asked him, he answered. To me, he answered truthfully. He’s an extension of our arm. If you don’t use it, we aren’t going to get anywhere. People need to get out and speak to him.”
“Coffee with Pfluger” started around 8 a.m. and the congressman answered questions from the media after he had a conversation with nearly every person in DoughBoy’s Cafe.
The crowd of constituents included State Rep. Brooks Landgraf, Mayor Javier Joven, District 1 Councilman Mark Matta, At-Large District Councilwoman Denise Swanner, Odessa Police Department Chief Michael Gerke and Ector County Judge candidate Dustin Fawcett.
“There are so many things that we are working on to be able to have a conversation, shake somebody’s hand, hear their story and take that to Washington D.C. is really important,” Pfluger said.
Pfluger spoke to the media about how important it was to get Trevor Reed of Granbury returned to Texas after being detained in a Russian prison for nearly 1,000 days.
On Wednesday, the Bring Our Families Campaign was launched in an effort to help family members of American hostages and wrongfully held detainees to be brought home.
Pfluger said it’s great to see Reed’s family take the initiative and help families going through similar experiences.
“We are going to keep at this,” Pfluger said. “We want them home. This is the greatest country in the world and Trevor Reed knows that and that’s why I fought so hard for him.”
After speaking with his constituents, Pfluger said one of the biggest concerns is about border security.
Pfluger said his sponsored bill, H.R.4209 DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act, that was passed by the house on April 5 would authorize the U.S. Customs and Border Protection activities to identify and remediate illicit cross-border tunnels.
“We know the cartels will use tunnels to transmit drugs or to traffick humans in some cases,” Pfluger said. “This is a layered defense. This is one piece of it.
“Although that doesn’t solve the entire problem, it’s one piece of the puzzle to deter cartels and organizations.”
