October 26, 2023: Weekly Newsletter

Watch my interview on Newsmax discussing new Speaker Mike Johnson

I’m sure you all have been following the news over the last couple weeks on the House electing a new Speaker. A great deal has happened since we last communicated. In that time, the Republican conference considered many candidates. What was important to me was to ensure that we stopped the DC auto-advance leadership paradigm and elect a Speaker that would meet the moment of history we find ourselves in while leading with integrity. I am proud and grateful to say that we have elected Mike Johnson of Louisiana as the next Speaker of the House.

For those of you who may not know his background, Mike is a dear, dear friend who I got to know early on in my time here. He’s a strong conservative, a humble man of conviction, and a faithful leader who looks to build consensus among colleagues while boldly standing for our principles and fighting for issues that matter to American families. On a personal level, I’ve spent time in weekly prayer with him and know him to be a man of character and integrity.

I was honored to cast my vote for Mike Johnson for Speaker throughout his candidacy, and yesterday, he was elected with unanimous support from the Republican conference – something extremely difficult to accomplish lately. I truly think he is the right person for the job in this moment, being someone who can work hard to bring real change to Washington D.C. while also helping bridge some of the divide in Congress. I look forward to working closely with him in the coming days as we press ahead on work like getting spending under control. In the meantime, please pray for Mike and his family, as I know they have a long road ahead adjusting to new responsibilities.

My team and I are monitoring the situation in Israel as Hamas continues their unprovoked, outrageous assault on innocent Israelis. Our primary mission over the last few weeks was to make sure we help evacuate and protect our constituents in the region, and so far, based on the information we have, I am grateful to say our folks are safe. I want to thank my team for all their hard work to get some of our fellow TX-27 residents trapped in Israel home safe and sound. My team and I will continue working to that end - and if you know of anyone in harm’s way needing assistance, please reach out to our office.

In the meantime, please pray for the people of Israel. What is happening is unconscionable, and it is vitally important that we stand with Israelis and folks in the Jewish community during a time when many of them are seeing their friends, families, and homes under assault from evil terrorists. They need and deserve our support. 

Yesterday, I voted in favor of a resolution that passed that condemns Hamas’ actions, supports Israel’s right to defend itself, and combats anti-Semitic behavior around the world. We will continue to show our unwavering support for Israel to defend itself from terrorists. You may have seen that Joe Biden sent a request to Congress asking us to pass a $105 billion aid package that would give $14 billion to Israel, but also give $61 billion to Ukraine. I find this to be completely unacceptable, and I will make every attempt to block it. Aid to Israel should be considered separately from aid to Ukraine — not jammed together. 

Some of you have asked what others actions we’ve already taken in Congress to support Israel, so we wanted to provide you a snapshot list below:

• Reaffirm support for Israel and reject antisemitism (H.Con.Res. 57).

• Support and create a Special Envoy for the historic pro-Israel Abraham Accords (H.R. 3099 & H.Res. 311).

• Authorize $300 million for Israeli Cooperative Programs (H.R. 2670).

• Establish a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder collaborative research grant with Israeli Institutions (H.R. 2670).

While we must always put America first, part of that duty is to support alliances like ours with the Israeli people. I look forward to continuing that mission in Congress. My prayers remain with the innocent Israeli victims and their families. 

My staff and I stand ready to help you and your loved ones who are seeking help with exiting Israel. If you need, please apply for assistance HERE. 

I had a great time celebrating and giving welcoming remarks at the 51st Annual Cuero Turkeyfest! Cuero Turkeyfest is one of our district’s great traditions — with incredible people and great food, it’s a fun family event every year. The festival has grown into an entertaining celebration for the Cuero community and an opportunity to celebrate the city’s rich culture in the agriculture industry. 

Thank you to the great folks who worked so hard to make it happen!

Watch my remarks at the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Hearing.

The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic held a hearing last week to look deeper into the lack of oversight of our biosecurity and biosafety standards during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The misguided navigation from the federal bureaucracy about the COVID-19 pandemic severely damaged the American people’s trust in our public health bureaucracy, and rightfully so. As many of you have read by now, evidence has continued to mount over time suggesting that we were right all along about the origin of COVID-19 leaking from the Wuhan Lab. 

Decisions about federal funding for these labs are largely kept confidential, making it difficult to conduct proper oversight and evaluate the risks of such practices. None of your taxpayer dollars should be going towards foreign labs, especially those with the lack of safety standards on dangerous biological research.

Federal agencies, such as the National Institute of Health, have no problem imposing burdensome requirements on everyday Americans but fail to monitor high-containment laboratories that could potentially produce another pandemic. That is unacceptable. 

The world has suffered the large-scale consequences of one biosecurity failure fueled by the overreach of bureaucrats in medicine. The American people deserve transparency and answers about the pandemic. Our committee is determined to find the truth about COVID-19's origins and to hold the people who misled the American people accountable. 

I hope you’ll take a minute to watch my remarks. It’s important we make sure that this never happens again.

My office stands ready to assist any constituents in the 27th Congressional District of Texas with casework related to agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the State Department and Veterans Affairs. 

Here are some of the examples of success we had this week working with constituents needing assistance: 

• Constituent’s veteran-owned business, contracted to service the 63rd Army Reserve buildings, had not been paid for 6 months. After submitting a congressional inquiry, they were able to receive the $72,000 owed to the business. 

• Veteran constituent was waiting on approval for VA Individual Unemployability Compensation. After submitting a congressional inquiry, they are now receiving $45,888/year.

• Constituent needed assistance looking into their Social Security Disability Insurance back pay that they were told they would receive a year ago. After submitting a congressional inquiry, they received their back pay of $46,144.20.

• Constituent was having issues receiving their late spouse’s retirement pay from OPM. After submitting a congressional inquiry, they received $9,650 back pay and $2,758/month.

God Bless,

Rep. Michael Cloud

Member of Congress

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