Newsletter: FISA Reauthorization Fight and Welcoming Home a Coastal Bend Hero

Resources / Newsletter Share on Newsletter: FISA Reauthorization Fight and Welcoming Home a Coastal Bend Hero May 05, 2026 Newsletter FISA Reauthorization Fight The debate to reauthorize FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) was in full-swing last week, as the House and Senate exchanged multiple versions of the bill. After the House passed an extension of reauthorization that contained language I pushed for to ban a Central Bank Digital Currency, the Senate returned a version that had no guardrails, and hoped to pass it in the House using procedural loopholes that would allow passage in an empty House chamber. We forced a vote on this “clean” extension, and I was a “No” as the bill did not include the CBDC ban language or any other reforms to protect the American People. The bill passed the House, and now there is a 45-day extension of FISA without the necessary guardrails in place to protect the intelligence community from spying on American citizens. Even in this “loss”, we are moving in the right direction. We now have 45 days to negotiate a permanent ban on CBDC, warrant protections, and data-sale protections before the next FISA vote. This also marked an important first step in forcing a debate on a CBDC, which could one day become the ultimate surveillance tool, by passing language out of the House for the first time that sets an outright ban on it. Funding Veterans Care and Coastal Bend Military Installations Naval Air Station Corpus Christi (NASCC) and Corpus Christi Army Depot (CCAD) are fundamental to the readiness and lethality of America’s naval aviation formations and the sustainment of the Army’s rotary fleet. In April, the House Appropriations Committee signaled its support for these critical military installations through the unanimous passage of the Fiscal Year 2027 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs Appropriations Bill. As a Member of the House Appropriations Committee, I helped secure language in this bill that urges the Navy to address the needs at NASCC, especially in relation to the child development center, as well as language to urge the Army to accelerate completion of CCAD’s Aviation Multipurpose Facility military construction project. This bill also honors those who have served and sacrificed for our country by increasing funding for veterans’ healthcare programs and benefits, while directing the VA to continue its efforts to replace the Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital in San Antonio. This legislation marks the first Appropriations Bill passed out of committee this year, and I look forward to our continued work to responsibly steward taxpayers’ dollars while investing in essential programs and infrastructure necessary for our communities. Welcome Home to a Coastal Bend Hero Seaman 1st Class Clyde Clifton McMeans, a Coastal Bend native, was finally laid to rest last week, almost 85 years after his death aboard the U.S.S. California during the Pearl Harbor attacks. McMeans’ remains were unidentifiable until last year, when the Navy reached out to living descendants of the McMeans family to notify them of the DNA match. Following the notification, arrangements were made for McMeans to return to Texas and be buried at the Coastal Bend Veterans Cemetery, where he was laid to rest with full military honors last Friday. He joins Storekeeper 3rd Class Robert S. Garcia, another Coastal Bend native who served aboard the California and died in the attacks, who was also identified and recently buried at the same cemetery. South Texas and the Coastal Bend Veterans Cemetery now carry the distinct privilege of honoring the life and service of Clyde McMeans and his heroic sacrifice for our nation. Art Competition Winners I had the pleasure last week of congratulating the talented Elizabeth Colton, a student at Flour Bluff High School, as the 2026 Congressional Art Competition winner for TX-27. Her piece “Locked In” (above) will soon hang in the halls of Congress for all to admire. Second place went to “Drinking in a Drought” by Julia Aleman from Cuero High School. Julia’s artwork will be on display in our D.C. office. Our two People’s Choice winners were Lily Burke, Rockport-Fulton High School, for her piece “Lily’s of Texas,” and Andrew Schroer, Edna High School, for “Ready Pardner.” These two paintings will hang in my District Offices. Thank you to the over 50 high schoolers who submitted pieces for this year’s challenge, as well as the 1,700 residents of TX-27 who voted for their favorite piece. See all the winning paintings here . In the Media Breitbart: Conservatives Offer Amendments to Spy Powers Bill to Require Warrants for Americans’ Communications Crossroads Today : Lawmakers push to advance Matagorda Ship Channel Project Washington Examiner : George Washington looks on as King Charles addresses Congress Fox News : House passes budget blueprint to fund ICE and CBP via reconciliation God Bless, Michael Cloud Member of Congress Share on