U.S. House of Representatives
Elections 2020 Clyde announced his candidacy for the
United States House of Representatives for after five-term incumbent
Doug Collins decided not to seek reelection to run for the
United States Senate. During the campaign, he sued the city of
Athens, Georgia, over a
shelter-in-place order imposed during the
COVID-19 pandemic that he said compelled his business to close. Clyde finished second in the nine-way Republican primary behind State Representative
Matt Gurtler in a runoff election. The 9th is one of the most Republican districts in the nation, and it was understood whoever won the runoff would be heavily favored to be the district's next congressman. Clyde won the August 11 runoff. Clyde defeated Democratic nominee and former U.S. Army warrant officer Devin Pandy in the November general election, and assumed office on January 3, 2021.
Tenure On January 6, 2021, during the
2021 United States Electoral College vote count, Clyde was one of 120 Republican representatives who voted against certifying the
2020 presidential election results in both Arizona and Pennsylvania. On March 17, 2021, he also was one of 12 House Republicans to vote against HR 1085 to award three
Congressional Gold Medals to the United States
police who protected the U.S. Capitol during the
2021 United States Capitol attack. In June 2021, Clyde and 20 other House Republicans voted against a similar resolution. In May 2021, during a House Oversight Committee hearing, Clyde said that the Capitol attack was "no insurrection" and that there was video of the event that resembled a "normal tourist visit", with Trump supporters behaving "in an orderly fashion, staying between the stanchions and ropes taking videos and pictures". During that same hearing, Clyde acknowledged that during the attack, he "helped barricade the [House chamber] door until almost 3 p.m. from the mob who tried to enter". Fellow lawmakers
Adam Kinzinger and
Eric Swalwell criticized him for later refusing to shake the hand of a police officer who had been beaten unconscious during the attack. In June 2021, Clyde was among 14 House Republicans who voted against legislation to establish June 19, or
Juneteenth, as a federal holiday.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Clyde "supported the holiday but didn't like its title, Juneteenth National Independence Day". On February 28, 2022, Clyde was one of three representatives to vote against the
Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which made
lynching a federal
hate crime. In April 2022, he led a Republican effort to block the naming of a federal building in Florida after
Joseph W. Hatchett, the first black State Supreme Court judge in Florida and south of the
Mason–Dixon line. In February 2023, Clyde co-sponsored a bill to designate the "
AR-15-style rifle" the National Gun of the United States. Clyde was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House. Clyde voted to provide Israel with support following
2023 Hamas attack on Israel. On March 5, 2024, Clyde's Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act was favorably reported by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a bipartisan vote of 34 - 13. On June 13, 2024, Clyde introduced "to relocate the
Reconciliation Memorial, also known as the Reconciliation Monument, to its original location in Arlington National Cemetery." It was defeated by roll call, 230-192, with the Aye votes being only Republicans while the No votes included 24 Republicans with the rest being Democrats. In 2026, Clyde called for a
ban on Muslim immigration to the United States, and further called for the denaturalization and deportation of Muslim citizens of the United States.
Veterans issues The
PACT Act which expanded
Veterans Affairs benefits to veterans exposed to toxic chemicals during their military service, received a "nay" from Clyde.
Committee assignments For the
119th Congress: •
Committee on Appropriations •
Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies •
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies •
Committee on the Budget Caucus memberships •
Republican Study Committee •
Freedom Caucus • Congressional Chicken Caucus == Personal life ==