Michael Jonathan Cloud (born May 13, 1975) is an American politician representing Texas's 27th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives since 2018. He is a member of the Republican Party.
Cloud is a member of the new House Department of Government Efficiency Committee.
Early life and career Cloud graduated from Oral Roberts University in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in mass media communications. At Oral Roberts, he was on the cross country and track teams. He chaired the Victoria County Republican Party from 2010 to 2017.
U.S. House of Representatives Elections 2018 special election
Cloud succeeded Republican Blake Farenthold, who resigned amid controversy due to settling a sexual harassment lawsuit with public money. He won the Republican runoff for the regularly scheduled election with help from the Club for Growth and the endorsement of Ron Paul, who had previously represented parts of the district. On June 30, 2018, he won the special election, defeating Democratic nominee Eric Holguin, 55% to 32%.
2018 regular election
Cloud defeated Holguin again in November, along with independent candidate James Duerr and Libertarian candidate Daniel Tinus, with 60.3% of the vote.
2020
Cloud defeated Democratic nominee Ricardo "Rick" De La Fuente and Libertarian candidate Phil Gray with 63.1% of the vote.
Tenure Cloud was sworn in on July 10, 2018.
In December 2020, Cloud was one of 126 Republican members of the House of Representatives to sign an amicus brief in support of Texas v. Pennsylvania, a lawsuit filed at the United States Supreme Court contesting the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case on the basis that Texas lacked standing under Article III of the Constitution to challenge the results of an election held by another state.
During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Cloud and his colleagues were ushered to a secure location. Later, video footage of him surfaced in which he refused to wear a mask, in violation of House rules.
On January 3, 2023, at the beginning of the 118th Congress, Cloud voted for Jim Jordan to be the U.S. House speaker, in rebuke of House minority leader Kevin McCarthy.Fung, Katherine. Full List of House Republicans Who Voted Against Kevin McCarthy for Speaker, Newsweek, January 3, 2023.
Cloud voted to provide Israel with support following 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.
Iraq In June 2021, Cloud was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the AUMF against Iraq.
Syria In 2023, Cloud was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21 which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.
Immigration Cloud voted against the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 which authorizes DHS to nearly double the available H-2B visas for the remainder of FY 2020.
Cloud voted against the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1158), which effectively prohibits Immigration and Customs Enforcement from cooperating with the Department of Health and Human Services to detain or remove illegal alien sponsors of Unaccompanied Alien Children. He demanded answers in October 2024 from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement regarding a report that found nearly 300,000 migrant children disappeared from tracking.
On his congressional website he states his wife was naturalized and the process took her seven years which should be improved in order to encourage legal applicants that could benefit the country.Michael Cloud, Congressman. "Immigration: My position on immigration". Congressman Cloud's website Retrieved 18 March 2026.
In January 2026, Cloud was named as a founding member of the Sharia-Free America Caucus, which seeks to ban sharia law and prohibit immigration of adherents of sharia (i.e. Muslims). In February 2026, The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) quoted Cloud in a statement designating the Sharia Free America Caucus an anti-Muslim hate group. CAIR stated that the agenda of the caucus "would effectively ban the practice of the world's second largest religion in the United States."
Big Tech In 2022, Cloud was one of 39 Republicans to vote for the Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 2022, an antitrust package that would crack down on corporations for anti-competitive behavior.
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 Cloud was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.
Committee assignments Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Committee on Oversight and Accountability Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic
Caucus memberships Congressional Taiwan Caucus Freedom Caucus Republican Study Committee Sharia Free America Caucus
Electoral history
Personal life Cloud is Protestant and his wife is a naturalized citizen.Michael Cloud, Congressional website. (2026).
References
External links
Congressman Cloud official U.S. House website Campaign website