May 28, 2024: Weekly Newsletter

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation. As we reflect on their selfless service, we also extend our heartfelt gratitude to their families. Thank you all for the sacrifices you and your loved ones have made to protect the precious freedoms we enjoy. We will never forget. God bless you. 

Last week, I joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers on a Congressional Delegation trip to Turks and Caicos to address the unjust detention of American citizens. Our goal was to push for policy changes to prevent such detentions and expedite the return of Americans currently detained.

We met with Turks and Caicos officials to discuss the cases of four Americans facing up to twelve years in prison for unknowingly having small amounts of ammunition in their luggage. These individuals are cooperative and had no intention of breaking any laws. This ongoing diplomatic effort aims to secure their release and prevent future detentions.

While no immediate agreement was reached, discussions are continuing. Last Friday, one of the Americans awaiting sentencing, Bryan Hagerich, was informed that he will be allowed to return to the U.S. and reunite with his family. As we move forward, we remain committed to resolving these cases and bringing the remaining Americans home.

The delegation included Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), and Rep. Josh Brecheen (R-OK).

I joined Newsmax to discuss the trip and ongoing discussions with TCI officials. You can watch my interview, HERE.

As many of you may have seen, two weeks some of my colleagues and I joined former President Trump at his trial in New York. Make no mistake about it — at this very moment a political party is attempting to lock up their chief political opponent. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, this trial is a perversion of justice.

Americans across the country may have specific reasons for not supporting President Trump, or opposing conservatives in office, and they have a right to do that. That is part of our Constitutional system. My hope and prayer is that ALL Americans — whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, or Independent — will come to see the grave danger we are in if we allow those in power to use the legal system to persecute their political opponents. It is an affront to the Constitution and to every American’s right to speak freely.

Due to the erroneous gag order placed on President Trump, it has become ever more important for elected officials to speak up — not for politics, but for the country. You can watch my remarks at the press conference HERE.

This past week was jam packed with hearings. Check out the summary below!

I wanted to give an update on our recent COVID Subcommittee hearing with Dr. Peter Daszak — the President of EcoHealth Alliance. I am glad to say that the National Institute of Health (NIH) has finally ended its partnership with EcoHealth. Along with that news, it was announced this week that Health and Human Services was ending all funding for Dr. Daszak. This is just the beginning of restoring the integrity and trust the American people expect from their institutions. Our investigation is not over, we must continue to follow this trail to the top, up to and including figures like Dr. Fauci, to ensure complete accountability occurs.

For those of you who may be unfamiliar, EcoHealth funneled millions of taxpayer dollars to a shady Chinese lab (known to have insufficient biosecurity protections) to conduct risky gain-of-function research, violating a number of NIH policies along the way. While we may no longer be funding this company, we cannot let EcoHealth simply become the scapegoat for a broken system. The grant writing and oversight processes that enabled this partnership must be reformed. 

As President of EcoHealth, Dazak was listed as the “Principal Investigator” for a grant project to study bats in Wuhan, China, through his role at EcoHealth. Under the terms of the grant, Dazak was required to report and disclose any “potentially dangerous” research conducted at the Wuhan Institute of Virology – a regulation designed to prevent potential lab leaks of novel viruses, which evidence suggests occurred at the Wuhan lab. Dazak failed to properly disclose the required information. The HHS’s referral memo notes “The NIH’s conclusion that WIV research likely violated protocols of NIH regarding biosafety is undisputed.”

Congress (supposedly) holds the purse strings and it’s high time we use them — we cannot ask taxpayers to continue to fund the demise of their own country.

It continues to come to light that the National Institute of Health (NIH) failed in its oversight of government funding for the Wuhan lab in China. Instead of ensuring taxpayer money was used appropriately, the NIH prioritized the feelings of those who misused your tax dollars.

According to released emails by our Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, a top advisor to Dr. Fauci at NIH, Dr. David Morens, deleted records and used secret back channels to help Dr. Fauci and EcoHealth evade transparency regarding COVID-19. 

I questioned Dr. Morens about these issues and never received a satisfactory answer. It's clear that we must demand answers and restore integrity to our government agencies. Your hard-earned money should be spent wisely, and those in power must be held responsible for their actions. You can watch my questioning HERE.

I also joined the John Fredericks Show to discuss this, which you can listen to HERE.

Officer Hicks

George Hyak

This week we continued to remember the lives of two heroes in our district: Corpus Christi Police Officer Kyle Hicks, who was killed in the line of duty last month, and Victoria’s own George Hyak, a decorated World War II veteran who recently passed away at the age of 104. 

It was my honor to commemorate both of their lives and service on the House floor. I’d encourage you to take a moment and watch the videos above. Please continue to keep their families in your prayers during this time.

Philippians 4:7 - “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

God Bless,

Rep. Michael Cloud

Member of Congress

Sign up for my newsletter to get updates on this issue and others!

Visit my website to learn more!
www.cloud.house.gov

Contact Me