 In 2008, Pfeiffer led a legislative effort to cut price subsidies for renewable energies by as much as 30 percent the following year; lawmakers eventually compromised on an 8 to 10 percent annual decrease over the subsequent three years.During the eurozone crisis, Pfeiffer supported Germany’s stance that it would oppose any plan to introduce euro bonds, calling them “poison.”

On a 2011 trip to Tajikistan, he expressed support for the Rogun Dam project, calling "the best project for the development of the region.“

When EADS and its American partner Northrop Grumman in 2010 cited unfair competition for abandoning their joint bid for a $35 billion contract to build tanker jets for the US military, Pfeiffer publicly called the move "a scandalous, unacceptable act.“  In a parliamentary debate over the government’s decision on the sale of more than 200 model 2A7+ Leopard tanks to Saudi Arabia in 2011, Pfeiffer reasoned that it is in Germany's interest "to offer our employees in the defense industry long-term prospects.