October 5th, 2022: Weekly Newsletter

Last week I joined Newsmax to discuss far-left politicians’ blatantly hypocritical stance on the border.

Liberal elites clearly want a buffer between themselves and the crisis at the border, they just want that buffer to be Texas.

The left’s hypocrisy is on full display yet again as they attack Governors Abbott, DeSantis, and Ducey for sending illegal immigrants to self-described "sanctuary cities."

The invasion on our southern border has overwhelmed small towns in South Texas. However, as soon as these “sanctuary cities” get a tiny glimpse of what actual border towns deal with on a daily basis, they request the National Guard, beg for taxpayer dollars, and then send them elsewhere.

Their hypocrisy would be laughable if the harm caused by the cartels wasn’t so horrific. 

I also joined Fox Business to discuss how I am fighting to make the government more accountable to the people.

I have long supported banning government officials from trading stocks. Last week, we received notice that Members of Congress would be voting on a bill to reform existing laws on stock trading within the government.

While I am glad that the issue is finally gaining bipartisan traction, it was frustrating to see Leadership try to secretly assemble a partial solution and then cancel the vote on this important issue. I have been working with a bipartisan coalition to craft legislation that would provide a common sense fix to existing laws. However, Leadership chose not to engage with us on the bill. 

I have cosponsored two bills that would prohibit Members of Congress from actively trading stocks while they are in Congress. However, the issue shouldn’t stop at just Congress. It should also apply to senior federal employees who also have influence in our government’s rules and regulations.

Therefore, I introduced the bipartisan DIVEST Act. This bill would prohibit high level executive branch officials from actively trading stocks. Just like Congress, these federal officials have access to sensitive information that isn’t available to the public, and we shouldn’t allow them to potentially abuse their power for financial gain. 

• IRS: A constituent filed IRS form 1045, Application for Tentative Refund in November 2021 and had yet to receive their refund. After we submitted constituents' inquiry, they were able to receive their Net Operating Loss Carrybacks totaling $451,484.01.
• VA: A constituent owed a past due amount of $29,232 on his defaulted VA home loan. We worked out a settlement of $2,750 and it was accepted by both parties.

The biggest issue I hear about when visiting with local farmers is staffing issues across Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices. Far too often, I hear from farmers that staff are overwhelmed and that it takes too long for necessary forms and applications to be processed.

When the Agriculture Committee held a hearing this week on USDA’s operations, I made a point of asking FSA Administrator Ducheneaux about staffing. In the hearing, Mr. Ducheneaux responded that FSA is at 95% staff capacity. While that sounds great, my concern is the needs of local FSA offices are being overlooked.

Additionally, agency jurisdiction issues are leaving farmers in limbo. While I can understand that these are  “growing pains,” as stated by Mr. Ducheneaux, it is important that agencies like FSA and the Risk Management Agency (RMA) work together to assist producers. 

Last week, Congress passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through December, kicking the can down the road on a spending bill yet again. Our budget process is completely broken, and Leadership wants to keep it that way. So long as Congress cobbles together a last minute spending bill, Leadership can pack it with irresponsible spending policies and force a vote on it. That is not how we should manage taxpayer dollars, so I opposed this bill. 

Americans want a federal budget that reflects their needs and concerns.

Last week I...

• co-led a letter with Congressman Comer (R - KY) to Attorney General Garland regarding cyber attacks against faith based websites.
• signed onto a letter to GAO requesting a study on foreign investment in U.S. farmland and its impact on national security.
• cosponsored the Protect Farmers from the SEC Act.
• cosponsored a resolution recognizing October 2nd - 8th as National 4-H week. 

God Bless,

Rep. Michael Cloud

Member of Congress

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