The latest fight in Washington D.C. is centered around the debt ceiling. Conservatives in the House of Representatives, led by Congressman Michael Cloud (R-TX), have begun to offer durable solutions to lower the federal debt and take steps toward a more balanced budget. Rep. Cloud recently joined John Hart on Right Voices to discuss his plan for the debt ceiling and how American innovation is driving energy and environmental progress. 

Having a diverse economic district that includes the petrochemical industry of Corpus Christi and the agricultural sector of Victoria, Cloud is a staunch supporter of an innovation-led “all of the above” approach to energy and the environment. Inflation and bad fiscal policy, however, have hurt the economic sectors in his district, which has hurt people. As Cloud stated: 

“It’s crazy because a lot of the supposed stated initiatives of the Left, especially with Green New Deal-type policies, are having a reversed effect than the goals that they’re meant to have. So you can look at, for example, our energy policies which have led to higher fertilizer prices. It’s harder to get the chemicals that we need to get pesticides which means lower yields on food which means higher prices on food, which means we’re not feeding people who need food and access to good meals.”

He continued: 

“The answer in this and in the energy sphere, is really that the American worker is doing this better than the rest of the world. We need to untie their hands to continue to innovate, to continue to do their work really well.” 

>>>READ: Nancy Mace Outlines a Conservative Climate and Energy Agenda

Cloud then critiqued climate policies that focus solely on lowering domestic emissions at the cost of innovation and economic growth. As Cloud has pointed out previously, any discussion on climate change has to focus on global emissions. As he said: 

“If there is a climate emergency, it’s not a national one–it’s not like the environment stops at our borders— it’s a global one so we’ve got to look at a larger perspective on these sorts of things. The answer is really taking our responsibly-made goods and products and having them take up more of the world’s market. It’s great for national security, it’s great for the economy, and it also happens to be the best thing for these environmental goals as well.”

For the 118th Congress and beyond, Cloud will be focusing on solutions that level the energy playing field by phasing out subsidies for mature technologies and reducing regulatory barriers for private sector innovation. Cloud will also have an outsized role in trying to lower the federal debt, which he believes will be critical to securing our nation’s future. As Cloud explained: 

“When we look at where we’re headed, you look at the rise and fall of nations throughout history and most great nations like ours collapse from within through a number of issues, but one of the big ones being how we handle or mismanage our fiscal policy. So right now we’re the world’s reserve currency but we’re not acting like it. So we’ve got to come back to responsible spending.”

As talks surrounding the debt ceiling escalate, conservatives like Michael Cloud are prepared to lead with sensible solutions that promote a sustainable economic and environmental future.

Watch the interview here.

The views and opinions expressed are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of C3.