Texas Congressman Pfluger Pushes Back on Venezuela Oil Deal Over Permian Basin Concerns

Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) said Wednesday he has significant unanswered questions about a developing oil deal with Venezuela, warning that domestic producers in his own Permian Basin district should not be undercut by any arrangement with Caracas.

Speaking on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Pfluger said he wants clarity on how the deal would work in practice, including the security conditions companies would face operating in Venezuela.

“I do have questions about the deal with Venezuela, because I want to know, not only how long is it going to take, but how stable and how easily these companies are going to be able to operate over there from a security standpoint,” Pfluger said.

Pfluger described his overall energy philosophy as favoring competition over blanket support for any single source. “When it comes to energy in general, I’m not an all of the above person, I am a best of the above person. So, any subsidies should be looked at from a realistic point of view, green energy fits into that category. If it works, then let’s use it. If it doesn’t, and it can’t compete in the marketplace, then I’m not for it,” he said.

Permian Producers Want Protections

Guest host Cheryl Casone raised concerns she said are coming from companies operating in the Permian Basin, noting that firms lost hundreds of billions of dollars in Venezuela in the past and were never repaid.

“They did. And I have advocated from the very beginning that they should be reimbursed for those losses,” Pfluger responded. “When Maduro took over, the country was thriving, Venezuela was a thriving country, they had a booming economy, he took it over, and drove them into the ground. And, oh, by the way, these companies lost billions of dollars. So, yes, they do need to be repaid.”

Pfluger added that he does not want domestic companies, particularly those in his district, to be undercut by any new arrangement with Venezuela. He said he believes Energy Secretary Chris Wright is well-suited to navigate the issue.

“I know Chris Wright is very qualified to be the Secretary of Energy. He understands worldwide flows of energy, and I think we can get there, but there are still a lot of questions out there, and I will be leading the charge on asking those questions,” Pfluger said.