FreedomWorks’ Member of the Month for October 2021: Rep. Michael Cloud
The Big Picture
Since being elected to Congress in a special election in June 2018, Rep. Cloud has been a loud voice in support of limited government and personal liberty.
In 1997, Rep. Cloud graduated from Oral Roberts University with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Media Communications. At Oral Roberts, he was a member of the cross country and track teams. After graduating from Oral Roberts, Rep. Cloud started a small business, Bright Ideas Media. From 2010 through 2017, he chaired the Victoria County Republican Party. After winning the special election in June 2018, Rep. Cloud was reelected in November 2018 and 2020.
In the current Congress, Rep. Cloud sits on two committees: the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the Agriculture Committee. On the Oversight Committee, he serves as the Ranking Member on the Economic and Consumer Policy Subcommittee. On the Agriculture Committee, he serves on the Nutrition, Oversight, and Department Operations Subcommittee, and the Commodity Exchanges, Energy, and Credit Subcommittee. He is also a member of the House Freedom Caucus, and the Republican Study Committee.
The Details
Rep. Cloud is one of only a few members to hold a 100 percent on FreedomWorks’ Congressional Scorecard in 2021. Moreover, Rep. Cloud does not just vote the right way, he also sponsors and cosponsors substantive bills that promote limited government and conservative values.
H.R. 638 – Cost Estimates Improvement Act
- Rep. Cloud is the lead sponsor of this legislation. If the legislation were to become law, the Congressional Budget Office and the Joint Committee on Taxation would be required to provide the costs of servicing the public debt when producing cost estimates of legislation and a list of any duplicative activities covered by a bill. This common-sense bill would give a more accurate picture of the cost of legislation that Congress considers.
H.R. 2199- Federal Agency Sunset Commission Act of 2021
- Rep. Cloud is the lead sponsor of this legislation. It currently has 8 co-sponsors. This bill would establish a Federal Agency Sunset Commission that would review every federal agency and make recommendations to Congress over whether the agency should be abolished, reorganized, or continued. Following the commission’s review, each agency would then be abolished if not reauthorized by Congress.
H.R.3129 – Preventing Endless Armed Conflict and Engagement Act
- Rep. Cloud is the lead sponsor of this legislation. If this bill were to become law, whenever Congress passes an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), Congress would be required to take a vote re-authorizing the AUMF every two years. Without an affirmative vote re-authorizing the AUMF, it is terminated.
H.R.1712 – Death Tax Repeal Act
- Rep. Cloud is a co-sponsor of this bill along with 150 other House members. The bill fully repeals the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes. Today, this tax wreaks havoc on small businesses across the nation both through the administrative and economic burdens of compliance. Moreover, this tax is riddled with exemptions.
H.R.420 – No Taxpayer Funding for Paris Climate Agreement Act
- Rep Cloud is a co-sponsor of this bill along with 33 other House members. If this legislation were to become law, the federal government would be prohibited from spending money to become a party to the Paris Climate Agreement that President Biden re-entered upon taking office. Under the Paris Climate Agreement, Americans are subjected to higher energy bills and an unreliable electricity grid, all for no significant reduction in carbon emissions.”
H.R.3163 – CRT Act and H.R.3179 – Stop CRT Act
- Rep Cloud is a co-sponsor of both bills along with 31 House members for the CRT Act, and 67 co-sponsors of the Stop CRT Act. The CRT Act prohibits state or local governments from using federal funds to teach critical race theory in elementary, middle, or high schools. The Stop CRT Act codifies Executive Order 13950 signed by President Trump, and repealed by President Biden. That Executive Order prohibited federal employers, contractors, and subcontractors from providing critical race and critical gender theory training programs to their workforce.
Why it Matters
While many members of Congress campaign on conservative principles, far too many drop those principles once they are sworn into office. Others abandon these principles after spending a few years in Washington. Since Rep. Cloud came to Congress in June 2018, he has never stepped back from fighting for the conservative principles he campaigned on. We hope conservatives thinking about running for office look to Rep. Cloud as an example of someone who has adhered to his principles even after spending time in Washington.
You can follow Rep. Cloud’s work in Washington on Twitter and Facebook, and of course, follow FreedomWorks’ coverage of the excellent work of members like Rep. Cloud on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as well.
We thank Rep. Michael Cloud for his excellent work promoting freedom and are excited to honor him as our member of the month for October 2021. We look forward to watching as he continues to fight for individual liberty and serve the constituents of Texas’ 27th congressional district.
