August Pfluger
Pfluger says Israel "has every right to eliminate this evil terrorist network" and that America must stand by Israel in full support. He has said nothing located about U.S. aid to Palestinians, in either direction.
Pfluger represents Texas’s 11th District, chairs the Republican Study Committee and a House Homeland Security subcommittee, and is running for re-election.
His current-position statements are about backing Israel in general terms. In February 2025, after four hostages were murdered in Gaza, he called Hamas a "barbaric terrorist organization" and "a radical group with no value or regard for human life", and the statement is headed "Pfluger: Israel Has Every Right to Eliminate This Evil Terrorist Network". The first search records him adding that "America must stand by Israel in full support". In October 2025 he reaffirmed that Israel has every right to defend itself.
Much of his remaining work is on campus antisemitism and online radicalisation, which the content rule places out of scope and which is recorded as context. His recorded votes on the tracked bills and his funding from pro-Israel committees are shown separately on this card.
Tracked votes: backed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 6 of 6 recorded votes.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- 2025-02-20 [Current position; card-leading; VERIFIED]: Statement headed "Pfluger: Israel Has Every Right to Eliminate This Evil Terrorist Network", read. Verbatim from the page: "Four innocent hostages were murdered in cold blood by Hamas while in captivity, and today, the barbaric terrorist organization proceeded to parade the victims' bodies through the streets of Gaza before returning them to Israel. This is heartbreaking and a sobering reminder that Hamas is a radical group with no value or regard for human life. Israel has every ri[ght]" to eliminate it. The first search’s continuation, that "America must stand by Israel in full support", is consistent with the headline and was not located in the portion read; it is attributed to the first search in the deep dive.
- 2023-11-02 [Months after October 7, 2023; on this page only]: Statement on the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act: "In the face of terrorism and anti-Jewish hate around the world, I am proud to support sending essential resources to our ally, Israel, in response to the horrific terror attacks orchestrated by Hamas. Israel has the inherent right to defend its citizens from acts of terror and aggression."
- 2023-12-14 [Months after October 7, 2023; on this page only]: Statement on the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act highlighting provisions he championed, including requiring expedited deliveries of KC-46A Pegasus refuelling aircraft to Israel and immediate training for Israeli pilots. **This is his most specific act on what the United States sends** and it is in the months after October 7, 2023.
U.S. aid to Palestinians
- Nothing located, in either direction.
Characterization of the conflict
- 2023-10-08 [Months after October 7, 2023; on this page only]: Statement: "The Iran-backed Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel are horrific and barbaric. We must take a stand against the radical ideology that fuels hate towards Israel."
- 2024-09-24 [Current position]: On Israeli operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon he said "Israel has the right to defend itself and its people from adversaries in the Middle East", criticising the administration's "appeasement toward Iran and its proxies that have prolonged this conflict". The source page the first search attached, a Midland Times report, returned 500.
- 2025-06-13 [Current position]: As Republican Study Committee chairman he praised a targeted Israeli operation against Iran as a "crippling blow to the Iranian regime". About Iran.
- 2025-10-07 [Current position]: Second-anniversary statement reaffirming that "Israel has every right to defend itself" and supporting measures to defeat Hamas and return hostages.
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2023-07-17 [Earlier record]: He introduced a House resolution affirming Israel is not a racist or apartheid state, rejecting antisemitism and pledging continued U.S. partnership, criticising Reps. Jayapal, Tlaib and Omar, whose "repeated comments denigrating Israel are unacceptable and disgusting". Predates 2023-10-07.
- 2023-07-21 [Earlier record]: At a press briefing he said of Democratic support for the alliance that "the veneer is ripped off".
- 2024-02-13 [Current position]: On an endorsement from the Republican Jewish Coalition he posted "Thank you! I am proud to stand up for Israel and against antisemitic hate" (JNS).
Safety and antisemitism
[Context only, never the answer to what America sends. Campus measures are named out of scope by the content rule.]
- 2024-05-02 [Current position; out of scope]: He announced plans to strip federal student aid from people convicted of violent crimes or assaulting police at anti-Israel campus demonstrations (Texas Scorecard).
- 2025-02-13 [Current position]: He co-introduced the bipartisan Countering Online Radicalization and Terrorism Act. Local coverage would not open.
- 2025-06-06 and 2025-06-11 [Current position]: He announced and then chaired a subcommittee hearing on antisemitic and anti-Israel terror threats on U.S. soil, saying "Antisemitic violence and harassment will not, and cannot, remain unchecked in the United States of America".
What came back empty or unusable
- No position located on U.S. aid to Palestinians at all.
- Two YouTube urls carry no retrievable text; one local report returned 500 and another 403.
- His two most concrete in-scope acts are both inside the months after October 7, 2023.
Also in this race: Claire Reynolds (Democrat) · All Texas candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.