September 5th, 2023: Weekly Newsletter

Our team recently hosted a Veterans town hall in Victoria, which is one of the key things we try to regularly do during district work periods. With all of the problems veterans face on a day to day basis dealing with bureaucratic red tape, it’s important for me to hear directly from them on what I can do to help in Congress. Getting VA appointments closer to home, community care service, VA disability application help are some of the issues we discussed.

Our district team works around the clock to expedite casework and make sure Veterans get the benefits they deserve. From a legislative standpoint, I was happy to share what myself and my office have been working on to help improve veterans’ services, including increasing their access to healthcare, creating job opportunities for veterans who want to return to the workforce, and reducing taxes to improve financial outlook for servicemen and women. 

If you, or a veteran you know, needs assistance dealing with the VA or another federal agency, please call one of our offices or contact me at cloud.house.gov. My team and I will continue working to make sure our veterans are receiving the care and support that they fought for and deserve.

Thanks to the diligent work of so many great folks on the ground, Texas has come a long way since Hurricane Harvey — but there's still work to be done. Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for the $3.2 million flood mitigation project improving the drainage system in the city of La Ward. 

One of the major things we wanted to do after Harvey was work at the state and local level to improve infrastructure preparedness. The existing drainage system was unable to weather the heavy rainfall, resulting in water ponding in the streets and adjoining properties. With these funds from the General Land Office, the city of La Ward will now be able to improve the flow of water during major storm events away from businesses and homes. This will be crucial for the city of La Ward’s infrastructure to be prepared for potential storms to come, and I’m very grateful to see the project to completion. 

As always, thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen.

While Texas remains one of the strongest states in the country for business, local leaders have still been struggling the past several years with high inflation, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions. Small businesses are hurting, and seemingly every day this administration continues to make life harder on workers and entrepreneurs. Because of this we’ve made a concerted effort to visit small businesses in TX-27 and hear from them.

Last week, we went to Ingleside to give an update on what Congress has been doing to help ease the burden on small businesses, as well as hear from them about challenges they have faced, many of them due to inflation and labor shortages. We also discussed community needs, business growth opportunities, and some of their upcoming projects. 

We have to support small businesses in our communities to help them thrive and flourish. As we move forward, I will continue to support policies that get government out of the way and allow American workers to do their best work without fear of high taxes, red tape, and Washington D.C. intervention.

I was grateful to help honor Border Patrol Station Chief Travis Baltosser. Chief Boltosser has served our community at the helm of the Border Patrol Station, Corpus Christi. Recently, he accepted a new role training agents at a duty station that will take he and his family out of our area. I was honored to be able to present a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol, recognizing his courage and commitment to defending the sovereignty of our nation.

Thank you to all our tremendous border patrol personnel for the work you do.

Thank you to Del Mar Junior College in Corpus Christi for giving me a tour of their campus. We discussed updates on the student enrollment, curriculum, student national recognitions, and the state of the art equipment for students at the campus. 

Junior colleges play an integral role in teaching and growing our nation's skilled workforce while providing opportunities to students whose needs are not served by traditional four-year institutions. Every day, they help improve quality of life by providing flexibility to people looking to strengthen their education. It is crucial that these schools be supported and represented as their contributions help drive our state and national economy.

Thank you to the United Corpus Christi Chamber of Commerce for inviting me to speak at their quarterly luncheon. I was glad to provide an update on our current legislative priorities and where we are as a county, plus how it impacts the district.

Our team has made a concerted effort to push policies favorable to the local business community and I’m grateful for the strong relationship we’ve had thus far.

• Thank you to Erin Schniederjan, one of our fantastic summer interns, for all her help over the last few months in our D.C. office! Erin was instrumental in helping our office deliver for TX-27 constituents. Additionally, she led tours of the Capitol for many of you that came up to Washington D.C. this summer.

God Bless,

Rep. Michael Cloud

Member of Congress

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