March 15, 2024: Weekly Newsletter

While TikTok pretends to be a benign social media platform, the truth is TikTok is a CCP surveillance tool masquerading as a legitimate business. It is a key vector in China's unrestricted warfare against the United States allowing the Chinese government access to millions of people’s data and the ability to manipulate the data against Americans. 

That is why I supported key legislation that came to the House floor this week. It is important to note that, contrary to some reporting, this legislation does not ban TikTok but rather requires TikTok to divest from its parent company ByteDance, which is affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party.

Last week, in his State of the Union address, President Biden presented his vision of our country – one where Washington bureaucrats waste our hard-earned money, inflation ruins our economy, and drug cartels control our southern border. It sounded like a nightmare.

Unfortunately, if you just listened to Joe Biden, you would’ve thought everything in the country is mostly fine. Obviously, this is a deeply out of touch and inaccurate reflection of our country under this Administration’s leadership.

The United States continues to grapple with a flailing economy, an open border, and binge spending as we add $1 trillion to our debt every 100 days. Yet, this Administration remains indifferent to the crises facing our nation. As I’ve traveled across the 27th District, I’ve heard many times about the ways this administration’s policies are hurting our communities.

I would also like to hear from you: what do you think about the state of our union? You can let me know by answering the survey below.

A big thank you to the Victoria Chamber of Commerce and all who showed up for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of our new Victoria office.

My first job as your Representative is to listen, and hearing directly from you is the best way to do so. My staff and I work tirelessly to help your voices be heard amongst all of the noise in Washington. Whether that is through legislation on the floor, questions in committee hearings, or opening individual cases with federal agencies on behalf of our fellow citizens, we want to hear from you.

A big thank you to everyone who came out to make our open house such a success! It is an honor to serve you.

I was invited to see the Celanese Chemicals plant here in Bishop. For 79 years their facility has been a source of jobs and economic output for the Coastal Bend. Celanese produces a variety of materials that go into many of the products we use in our day to day lives, such as high-quality plastics and lithium-ion batteries. It was great getting to know their staff and hearing about what they do for our community.

Later in the day, my team and I also toured the Valero regional office in Corpus Christi. Supporting our local energy sector is and will remain a top priority of mine, and it was fantastic to learn about the work they are doing here in South Texas. Thank you to everyone for having us!

My staff and I are here to assist each of you with any casework related to federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the State Department, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Here are some of the examples of success we’ve recently had:

• Constituent had an issue with his business’s 2021 tax return. After our office opened a case on his behalf, he received his return in the amount of $376,398.88.

• Constituent required assistance with looking into her granddaughter’s Social Security checks that she hadn’t received in three months. After working with our office, the constituent received the payments to the sum of $2,040. 

• Constituent was experiencing difficulty receiving his disability pay from the VA. After working on his behalf, my team and I helped him receive his 100% VA Disability, totalling $47,352 per year and $27,622 in back pay.

• Constituent reached out for help in receiving her DIC survivor benefits. After inquiring about this issue, we helped her receive her benefits, adding up to $18,744 per year.

God Bless,

Rep. Michael Cloud

Member of Congress

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