Representative Michael Cloud is a Constitutional Conservative who proudly represents the 27th Congressional District of Texas. Representative Cloud was first elected in a special election in 2018. He defends American values and Constitutional liberties. His time in office has been marked by promoting the booming economy in south Texas, maintaining a strong national defense, and combating anti-American values that work against the American people, rather than for the American people.
Agriculture in Texas is a $100 billion per year industry and is vital to our district’s economy and to the state of Texas. I have the pleasure of representing 14 counties, and farming and ranching are major economic drivers in many of these counties. Farmers and ranchers in our district work tirelessly to put food on tables.
Farmers face a number of challenges–excessive regulation, increasingly competitive foreign markets, and rising costs of planting, growing, and harvesting a crop. Farmers and ranchers have an important job, and as a Member of the House Agriculture Committee, I work to ensure they have the resources needed to carry out their operations.
One bill I cosponsored this Congress was the RESTORE Act, which would ensure that Texas farmers and ranchers received disaster aid through the WHIP+ program for losses that they incurred as a result of Winter Storm Uri. With my support, this legislation was able to be enacted into law.
Additionally, I advocated for a regulatory change in the Emergency Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) in 2021 that would allow redfish farmers in our region of Texas to receive aid as a result of Winter Storm Uri.
I’ve voted to get government regulators out of the way because Texans know how to manage Texas land and agriculture better than Washington does. I have cosponsored legislation that would terminate this Administration’s proposed “30 x 30” land grab and reaffirm a narrower definition of Waters of the United States. Solutions should be driven by the farmers and ranchers who live and work in agriculture every day, not unelected bureaucrats in D.C. Congress should stay focused on helping American farmers and ranchers secure fair and open markets overseas for their products.
Lawlessness is not compassion and what is occurring on our southern border is lawlessness. Securing our border is a matter of national security, a matter of economic security, and a matter of fighting the flow of opioids into our country that is destroying families.
The federal government’s unwillingness to take back operational control of our border from the cartels has caused a humanitarian crisis and cost thousands of lives. This has become more apparent with an Administration that refuses to enforce the laws on the books. Securing the border is a federal issue, but so long as the federal government refuses to enforce the law, border states like Texas should declare an invasion and use their authority under Article 1, Section 10, Clause 3 authority to defend their states.
The brave men and women of our Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) do not have the resources they need to effectively combat this open border. Every day, the pernicious cartels take advantage of the gaps in our system with no regard for human life.
Securing our borders will crack down on cartels and make our communities safer. The Biden administration should reimplement the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy that stemmed the flow of illegal immigration into our nation.
Congress should pass legislation that would declare certain cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations to make additional resources available for our law enforcement entities on the border. Congress should move immediately to finish building the wall, which at one point was a bipartisan solution. CBP wants the wall as it acts as a force multiplier for them. Congress should increase staffing at CBP and ICE, we should strengthen interior enforcement, provide advanced technology and communication systems to support their missions, and improve border infrastructure by building better roads and clearing cane and brush that obstruct their vision of the border.
In 2019, I sent a letter with 11 other Members of Congress recommending a list of policies that the Trump Administration should adopt. Thanks to the Trump Administration, half of those recommendations in the letter were enacted.
Providing an opportunity for our children to be educated in great schools is a foundational block to a successful future. As the husband of a public school teacher and the father of three students, I am continually aware of the value of a good education, both for individuals and for our nation. A well-trained workforce is key to our economic success and global competitiveness, especially in the ever-changing world of the 21st Century.
Our top-down, one-size-fits-all approach to education has not served us well. Parents, teachers, principals, and local school boards know their students and schools better than politicians and bureaucrats in Washington, so I am committed to returning more authority and control to parents and to local and state school boards. Each child has unique gifts and talents and deserves the opportunity to reach their fullest potential.
Sadly we have seen the politicization of our children’s education through the teaching of Critical Race Theory (CRT) which only seeks to divide us, as well as the targeting of parents by the Department of Justice who seek to have their voices heard in school board meetings.
We cannot allow this. We need to free educators to educate, give parents more control over their children’s education, and allow states and districts to tailor their educational models to meet the needs of their communities, including through technical education and trade schools.
The United States has been blessed with abundant natural resources and must continue to develop American energy so we can provide reliable, affordable energy that powers our country and the world. Texas is at the forefront of this energy revolution, as it leads the nation in oil, gas, and wind energy production.
For starters, we must cut through burdensome permitting processes that stall the development of drilling as well as the infrastructure needed to transport oil and gas. I have cosponsored legislation and supported policies that would advance lease sales on federal lands and help expedite permitting of oil and gas pipelines.
Energy can allow America to serve as a “shining city on the Hill” with investments in pipeline infrastructure and our ports. The ports in Texas’ 27th District are helping drive America’s leadership in energy by supplying energy throughout the world. Deepening and widening ship channels, like the one for the Port of Corpus Christi and Calhoun Port Authority, is key to exporting a greater amount of American energy. Energy exports can help liberate our allies from dependence on bad actors, like Russia and China.
America’s energy producers lead the world in best practices of producing energy efficiently and responsibly. We should refrain from policies that restrict America’s energy production while enabling other countries—who do not have our best interests in mind and who lack the same degree of environmental standards—to produce energy. Bolstering our American energy production will ensure that Americans have a reliable supply of affordable energy and provide for strength and stability on the world stage.
When I became a Member of Congress I swore my oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States on the Holy Bible. Every time I step on the U.S. House floor to vote, my guiding values are faith, family, and freedom. These core values motivate me to action.
Throughout my time in Congress, I have been a strong advocate for our precious unborn, fighting against legislation that allows for taxpayer-funded abortion. I have also opposed dangerous drugs that induce harmful chemical abortions and have fought to remove them from the marketplace. Abortion is a tragedy for all involved, and it is time to champion the plain fact of life.
We must also return to a society that upholds the family unit as the basic building block of society. Strong families mean resilient marriages, better outcomes for children, and a stronger social fabric of our nation. Government social policies should be aimed at strengthening marriage and supporting the American family, not tearing it apart with policies such as marriage penalties in the tax code.
I firmly believe that one has a right to believe and worship as they see fit. Religious liberty is foundational to any society, and it must be protected in the United States and across the globe. I have long been a fierce opponent of those that try to push our faith to the margins of society and have been supportive of public displays of faith, such as prayer and religious organizations in schools. I am also committed to using my voice to speak out for those facing religious persecution, whether it be violence and execution against Christians in the Middle East or Uyghur Muslims in “re-education” camps in China.
Washington is broken. Our Republic should be a nation of the people, by the people, for the people. Washington is for itself, and that needs to change. Bureaucracy, waste, fraud, abuse, and regulatory burdens plague our government and make it inefficient to operate. It is a goal of mine to reduce the size and scope of government and make it more accountable to the citizens of this great nation.
It is an uphill battle and will take a concerted effort to restore Washington to the Founding Fathers’ original vision for our Republic to function for the people. We can start this process by passing my bill, H.R. 2199, the Federal Agency Sunset Commission Act, that would put all agencies and departments on a path to sunset, unless Congress reauthorizes them. Congress should immediately pass term-limits, remove unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles, and reduce government’s burden on hardworking Americans.
The Obama Administration’s takeover of healthcare through the “Affordable Care Act” – better known as Obamacare – represented an intrusion into our personal lives not seen before. This failure is demonstrated by the fact that less than one-third of those who were told would sign up actually did sign up.
Obamacare directly put Washington bureaucrats between you and your doctor and drove up the cost of healthcare for millions of Americans through unaffordable premiums with little coverage. Many families are still having to decide between paying their premiums or their mortgage. This system of high costs for little to no care has to end. Republicans have voted on and promised to repeal Obamacare for nearly a decade. While repeal and replace passed the House, it failed in the U.S. Senate. It is long past due to repeal Obamacare.
An important part of repealing Obamacare is to return market principles to the healthcare marketplace. This means removing burdensome mandates that drive up costs and require plans to include things that Americans don’t need and don’t want to pay for. We should enable plans to be sold across state lines. Enabling small businesses to join together and purchase plans through collaborative Association Health Plans (AHPs) will make insurance more affordable for small businesses and their employees. There are lots of other good ideas that will give Americans affordable choices if allowed to flourish free from excessive regulation.
In 2017, Hurricane Harvey made landfall in our district and devastated many communities in our part of Texas. Though much recovery has been made, there are still individuals in my district that have not reached full recovery.
My office has dedicated staff members to serve as liaisons to FEMA to help break through the bureaucratic hurdles to get funding where it is needed. Securing recovery funds is key to our recovery. Since Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, over $300 million in federal funding has been given to communities in Texas’ 27th District for recovery.
My office has worked diligently to ensure the necessary funding is received in the district.
While we do what we can to help Texans navigate the federal bureaucracy, it is only solving a short-term problem. I’m working towards reforms within FEMA that will break through current obstacles standing in the way of the American people. We should not expect those already burdened with recovery to have to become experts in the alphabet soup of federal bureaucracy in order to receive the recovery aid due to them.
If you have a disaster-related inquiry, please contact my district offices for further assistance.
My wife came to this country legally using the immigration system, and it took seven years to complete the process. We can do better for those wishing to come here legally. Our nation’s immigration system should, as a matter of principle and practice, benefit America, which means opposing all forms of amnesty. We must improve our nation’s immigration system to be orderly and merit-based.
Practical improvements must include the prosecution of visa overstays, elimination of the visa lottery, ending birthright citizenship, ending work visas for those who come here illegally, upholding the rule of law through the implementation of E-Verify, and overturning sanctuary cities.
These and many more actions would reduce the magnets that push migrants into coming here illegally. Importantly, enacting these policies would economically ruin the cartels that sexually and physically abuse 1 in 3 women who make their way to the United States.
Economic freedom is essential to creating the economic environment of growth and innovation that leads to job creation. Congress must use its lawmaking responsibility to eliminate regulations that hurt businesses, especially in a time of recovery when American businesses need freedom to get back on their feet. We must also cut taxes and put more money back into the pockets of our citizens. As previous efforts have shown, we can use tax cuts to spur billions of dollars in investments across America.
However, we will never truly recover if we do not get our own house in order. The government has become unaccountable to the American people. The federal budget is filled with waste, and there is no consideration for fiscal responsibility. We continue to fund numerous programs and agencies without authorization, or even an idea of what it is we are funding. Moreover, the budget process itself is broken. Instead of properly passing our appropriations bills with input from all Members of Congress, House Leadership plays political games and negotiates omnibus spending bills behind closed doors.
Long-term economic growth depends on controlling federal spending, reducing the national debt, and reducing bureaucratic red tape. All Americans need to be represented in the budget process, and our focus must be on a responsible budget that treats our taxpayer’s money with care. We need sensible solutions to reduce the deficit and bring the budget under control.
Providing for a strong national defense is one of the primary Constitutional responsibilities of the federal government. The failure to do this will jeopardize our national sovereignty and every Constitutional liberty. I have voted for defense funding legislation that will rebuild our national defense while providing our troops with the resources, equipment and training they need to defend our nation.
A critical component of supporting our national defense is strengthening our military bases such as Naval Air Station Corpus Christi and Corpus Christi Army Depot. I work around the clock and with our partners to ensure our bases have what they need to support our national defense and the servicemembers who sustain the bases.
Our troops and their families sacrifice daily to ensure that our way of life is protected, and they should be honored for their dedication to this nation. I will work to rebuild our military and support a thoughtful foreign policy.
The Second Amendment is crucial in ensuring that the government remains accountable to the American people. Our Founders saw the dangers of power-hungry government leaders and enshrined the right to keep and bear arms to prevent the government from wielding too much power.
Moreover, recent spikes in crime demonstrate the importance of protecting the Second Amendment. When government leaders choose to defund the police and abdicate their role in promoting public safety, Americans must have the means to defend themselves and their loved ones.
To prevent the federal government from wielding the power to implement sweeping gun control regulations, I introduced the Protecting the Right to Keep and Bear Arms Act. This bill would prevent the President from issuing an emergency declaration to gain broad authority to impose gun control on Americans.
One policy that is celebrated by gun control advocates is the creation of a federal firearms registry. A registry, though, could allow the government to target law-abiding citizens and take away their guns. With that in mind, I introduced the No REGISTRY Rights Act which would prohibit the ATF from using firearm transaction records to establish a back-door firearms registry.
In Congress, I am committed to upholding the vision of our founders and defending the Second Amendment at all costs.
Our district’s transportation infrastructure is the backbone of our economy. Our ports, roads, railways, waterways, and pipelines are essential to job creation and the economic growth and prosperity of the part of Texas that you and I call home.
Ports and Waterways – As a member of the Congressional Ports Caucus I am working to expedite port development projects – and the waterways that serve them – to expand and improve the operation of our ports. These projects will serve to maintain navigable channels for commerce and attract new businesses and customers to the region. Moreover, I am committed to advancing critical projects in our district, such as the Corpus Christi Ship Channel Improvement Project, the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project, and dredging the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway.
Roads – The completion of I-69 across the 27th District of Texas is critically important as it will not only connect our communities to one another and to other parts of Texas and the nation, but it will spur investment in our region of Texas. I am working with our local elected officials, TXDOT, U.S. Dept. of Transportation, and other Members of the I-69 Caucus to move this forward as quickly as possible and to enhance roads throughout the district.
Railways – We have three major railways serving our district – connecting us to all regions of the United States and to Mexico. As with highways and ports, railways are important to our region’s economic prosperity and create new opportunities for factories and businesses in our community to grow and create more high-paying jobs.
Pipelines – Pipelines crisscross the 27th district, bringing oil and gas from across Texas to feed the refineries, petrochemical factories, and export terminals in our region. These pipelines are the lifeblood of much of our economy. Pipeline safety is important for everyone and industry standards have evolved to achieve advanced safety. With these strides made, it is important that the current Administration recognizes the necessity of pipelines for securing energy independence.
We owe our American heroes an unpayable debt of gratitude. They have given themselves to preserve the blessings of liberty we enjoy, and their uncommon sense of duty has led to uncommon acts of service. We must keep our promises to those who have worn the uniform and bear the scars of defending this nation. Veterans in our community have repeatedly spoken to me about the challenges of transitioning from active duty to civilian life, and I am committed to helping them in every way possible.
I am proud to have supported several important bills to improve transition services and support veterans’ healthcare since taking office. I reintroduced the Improving Confidence in Veterans’ Care Act, which will protect veterans from unlicensed doctors practicing medicine at VA facilities. Improving services for homeless veterans, ensuring care for veterans suffering mental illness, and allowing veterans access to health savings accounts are also common-sense solutions that we need to pass.
In addition, my office is a resource to help navigate the federal bureaucracy. While I work with veterans’ groups to find ways to improve the process and quality of care, my staff and I continue to assist local veterans with the current system to resolve claims, track down records, and even obtain long-overdue medals and commendations. If you or a veteran you know needs assistance working with the VA or another federal agency, please call (361) 894-6446 or reach out through our “Help with a Federal Agency” page. While we cannot guarantee a specific outcome, we will work our hardest to make sure you are receiving the care and attention you deserve.