REP. AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TEXAS) IS INTERVIEWED ON SUNDAY MORNING FUTURES

TRANSCRIPTApril 06, 2025NEWS PROGRAMREP. AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TEXAS)REP. AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TEXAS) IS INTERVIEWED ON SUNDAY MORNINGFUTURESVIQ Media Transcription, Inc.20 East Thomas Road, Suite 2200Phoenix, AZ [email protected] 2025. Provided under license from VIQ Media Transcription, Inc.All materials herein are protected by United States copyright lawand/or license from VIQ Media Transcription, Inc., and may not bereproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published orbroadcast without the prior written permission ofVIQ Media Transcription, Inc.You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or othernotice from copies of the content.REP. AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TEXAS) IS INTERVIEWED ON SUNDAY MORNINGFUTURESAPRIL 6, 2025SPEAKERS:REP. AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TEXAS)MARIA BARTIROMO, HOST SUNDAY MORNING FUTURES (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) BROOKE ROLLINS, U.S. SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE: The president is the ultimate dealmaker. He has been cutting deals and making deals, first for his companies, the Trump companies, and now for the American people. There is no one better. And now he will apply that for the benefit of the American people, the American economy, and for our farmers and ranchers. And I do believe, April 9 and beyond, we will continue to see these other countries opening up their markets, allowing more of our product in, our agriculture product, and, again, for our farmers and ranchers, a new age of prosperity. (END VIDEO CLIP) JACKIE DEANGELIS, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: That's Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins appearing on "Mornings With Maria" Thursday on President Trump seeking to level the playing field for American farmers and ranchers to compete globally. This is coming as the president continues his push to unleash America's energy independence, cutting out the bureaucratic red tape implemented by the Biden administration. One of the keys to the president's energy plan lies in the Permian Basin region in West Texas, which is home to about 46 percent of the oil produced in the United States, as well as nearly 17 percent of the natural gas produced. Joining me now with more on America's energy sector is Texas Congressman August Pfluger, whose district includes the Permian Basin. He is also chairman of the Republican Study Committee. It's great to have you here this morning. We're talking all morning about Trump's economic agenda. Obviously, tariffs are on everyone's mind, but energy is also a big part of this. He wants to unleash American energy once again. And President Biden tried to suffocate the energy industry. Explain to me how that's going to work in the Permian. Deregulation is part of it. Investment is part of it. And the companies are on board. REP. AUGUST PFLUGER (R-TX): Well, Jackie, it's great to be with you. And you're absolutely right. Energy underpins everything we do, our entire economy, our national security sector. It's the most important thing. And it's foundational to everyday life. What we do in the Permian Basin, as you rightfully showed, is unleashing affordable, reliable energy. And that's what we should be doing throughout the United States. I was proud to have a bill signed into law just a couple of weeks ago which cut the harmful natural gas tax that President Biden imposed. But that's not it. That's not all of it. And what President Trump is now doing is cutting that red tape. He's cutting the bureaucracy. He's making it easier. You're going to see lease sales both onshore and offshore. And, most importantly, we have to get to a place of permitting reform so that energy companies are not competing with Uncle Sam, that you don't have years of delays... DEANGELIS: Right. PFLUGER: ... due to litigation or the red tape that the bureaucracy has imposed. And I think that's what you're going to see. It's going to enter us into a new era of energy. And with the incoming A.I. data centers and the technology that you're seeing, the demand for electricity is only going to increase, in some cases, people are predicting as much as double. DEANGELIS: Absolutely, not only A.I., but mining crypto as well. This is very important for our future as we move forward. And the president wants to make sure that we dominate in both spaces. You need the energy to be able to do that. And you bring up this issue of permitting, for example, a huge barrier for companies as they're trying to explore and drill, and they can't get the permits that they need. When you look at oil prices, there are a few bright spots in this market right now, even amidst the turmoil that we're watching on the specific indices with stocks, because you're looking at oil prices that have come down. You have got OPEC increasing supply, playing ball with President Trump as he's trying to modify the energy agenda. You bring those gas prices down not only for consumers, but you bring them down for companies, and you're talking about lower inflation. PFLUGER: Well, look, there's a sweet spot for the production of oil and gas, because you want enough rigs to drill. You want the ability to be able to produce and the supply to match the demand. And so, actually, I think what people are probably looking at across the United States is somewhere in the neighborhood of $65 to $85. And that really allows the predictability. Predictability is the word in this industry that people are looking for. They want a predictable future to invest in. And so super high prices over $100 or even $20-, $30-, $40-a-barrel oil is not good for the economy. What is good for it is a predictable barrel of oil price, so we can compete around the world. DEANGELIS: OK, fair enough. We're going to have more with you, Congressman — thank you so much for that — in just a moment right here on "Sunday Morning Futures." END