 | | | | | | | WORKING TOGETHER TO AVERT SEQUESTER DISASTER | Congressman Cleaver and Congressman Kevin Yoder speak with members of the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce about issues facing the nation, small businesses, and all families |
This week brought the opportunity to sit down with my colleague, Representative Kevin Yoder, a Republican from the Third District of Kansas, in what was billed as a non-debate debate. We have done this together often, in hopes of showing our common belief that both parties can and should work together. Congressman Yoder and I do not agree on all issues, not even on most issues, but we like and respect one another, and both feel like we learn from the other through open and considerate dialogue on issues our country faces. This week we spoke to the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and answered questions from many of the more than one hundred area residents in attendance. Discussion focused on debt, healthcare, and most particularly, sequestration.
Sequestration is already impacting us on the national level, in each and every state, and in our local cities and towns. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the deficit-reduction policies put into place by the sequester will slow the pace of real GDP growth by about 1 ½ percentage points this year alone, that it will slow our economic growth, and will lead to less actual deficit reduction. It will also have adverse effects on jobs and on income.
| Congressman Cleaver answers a question from an audience member concerning the role of government |
We got to this point because of the Budget Control Act passed by Congress in 2011, without my support. This law basically said that if Congress couldn't agree on a plan to reduce our deficit by $4 trillion, about $1 trillion in automatic, arbitrary, and across the board cuts that would start to take effect this year. And they have.
- Teachers and Schools – Missouri will lose approximately $11.9 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 160 teacher and aid jobs at risk. Thousands fewer students will be served and dozens of schools will lose funding.
- Head Start : Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 1,561 children in Missouri, reducing access to critical early education.
- Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds: Missouri loses about $298,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support everything from prosecution and courts to drug treatment, crime victim initiatives and crime prevention programs.
- Job Search Assistance: More than 25,000 people in Missouri will not get the help and skills they need to find work.
- Vaccines for Children: Approximately 2,500 children in Missouri will not get the vaccines they need due to reduced funding.
- Public Health: Missouri will lose more than ½ million dollars in funding to help upgrade abilities to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and acts of terror.
- Domestic Violence: Hundreds of victims of domestic violence could lose services due to funding cuts.
And the list goes on and on. The cuts jeopardize our military readiness and eviscerate job-creating investments in education, energy, and medical research.
But we have a window to act to stop any further damage. And that is why I hope we can sit down together, both sides of the aisle, in a spirit of cooperation and compromise, much like Congressman Yoder and I do when we work together.
| A packed room at Kansas City's Union Station listens as both Members of Congress share their thoughts on sequestration |
When Congress returns to Washington in September, we will have only a few days to hammer out a continuing resolution to keep our government working for the people. If we can reach an agreement, I believe we can avert the looming disaster of a shutdown – and perhaps even stop the sequester. This will be a short term solution, but one I hope can get us back on track. And then, we can work toward a long-term solution that will keep us from jumping from crisis to crisis, to get and keep our country moving forward.
FEEDING THE HUNGRY
| Congressman Cleaver joins Harvesters Gail Meriweather (pictured on the left) and Valerie Nicholson-Watson (pictured on the right) to discuss food insecurity |
It seems impossible to believe…that in this country, the greatest and most powerful nation on Earth, people are still going hungry. But they are. Each and every day people, even the elderly and young children, go to bed with growling stomachs and fears of when the next meal will be.
I recently sat down with several folks from Harvesters to discuss food insecurity and the increasing numbers of those in need they are seeing in Missouri's Fifth District. There were representatives from the faith community, local food pantries, grocery stores and associations, the health department, and others. All in attendance painted a heartbreaking picture of the growing need in our area over the last few years.
For instance, in the last fiscal year, Harvesters gave out 44.7 million pounds of food and served 66,000 people every week. Half of those were children and seniors.
Certainly one of the issues of critical importance to those filling the need in our area, is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or more commonly known as food stamps. As very deep cuts, which I am not in favor of, continue to be debated in Washington, here at home, people in need will turn to local organizations in larger numbers. Organizations in Missouri's Fifth District fear they will not be able to keep up with the demand. Quite simply, it means more people in our communities -- men, women, and children -- will go hungry.
Our country is seeing an economic rebound. It is slow. It remains painful. But it is taking place. For the working poor, though, it just isn't there yet. Federal programs, like SNAP, and The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) are critically important and very necessary. They assist families in purchasing food. Almost 70% of SNAP recipients are children, disabled, or the elderly. Most of the households getting SNAP benefits are working households. They just aren't making enough to get by.
I will continue to work with local organizations – and continue to fight in Washington – to make sure that people in Missouri's Fifth District are protected – and fed.
BIG NEWS FOR OLD TRAILS
| USDA RD State Director Janie Dunning speaks with the group during a recent economic summit |
There was an exciting announcement recently during the Old Trails Regional Economic Summit, and one I wanted to share with you. State Director Janie Dunning, of USDA RD, shared with the group news that Old Trails has been approved for an almost $50,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant. The funds will assist in the hiring of an executive director.
Old Trails has been invited to Washington DC to participate in the Forum on Regional Innovation in just a few weeks. It is hosted by the White House Rural Council and USDA RD.
Continuing to support our rural areas through these types of grants, increasing tourism dollars, and revitalizing economic and development hubs is one of the keys, I believe, to protecting the rural way of life and bringing security and success to our region.
Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
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