RSC Chairman Pfluger Joins ABC News After Voting to Reopen the Government

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Minutes after House Republicans voted to reopen the federal government, Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger appeared on ABC News to make one thing clear: Democrats own this shutdown.

Chairman Pfluger didn't mince words: Congressional Democrats held hardworking Americans hostage for 43 days to score cheap political points—and they failed miserably.

Watch the full interview here.

Read highlights from Chairman Pfluger below:

Chairman Pfluger on Several House Democrats Voting to Reopen the Government:
“Well, you're 43 days, six weeks, into a shutdown that has, as the Minority Whip Katherine Clark said, leveraged American families. So we're seeing a number of Democrat House of Representative members who have voted for this, and I kind of want to know what's changed for you? Because to us, there's nothing that you accomplished with this. It only hurt American families. And that's been our concern all along.”

Chairman Pfluger on Returning to Regular Order:
“Obviously, we're glad to get back to work. This is what the American people sent us here to do. But this tactic, this hostage crisis, was completely unnecessary. We need adults in the room who can make good decisions and move our country forward.”

Chairman Pfluger on Future Republican Plans for Health Care:
“There is a plan, and you just have to look at the One Big Beautiful Bill on July 4th that started a lot of this reform that has targeted that fraud, waste, and abuse. But really, Democrats wanted to put one and a half to two million illegal aliens back onto Medicaid instead of giving it to the people who truly deserve it: pregnant women and the disabled, the elderly, and kids. That's what we've been trying to do. The costs are out of control. We want to see reform. We want to see competition, and we want to see access to affordable health care.”