EC from DC - July 11, 2014
The hardworking men and women of Missouri's Fifth District are no strangers to the devastating problems caused by flooding. And for way too long, we have been waiting for the completion of several important flood control projects. Each day they continue to go unfinished is another day that leaves us fearing our inability to protect lives and our area's economic vitality.
That was at the forefront of my mind when I began the fight, along with Congressman Patrick Murphy of Florida, to get the needed funds to push these projects along. And this week, we saw success with our amendment to the House Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, as it passed unanimously on the House floor. That amendment boosts the Army Corps Construction Account by $1 million, which will help get projects across the finish line.
There are many local projects along the Missouri, Kansas, and Blue Rivers, relying on annual funding from the Energy and Water Appropriations, in order to safeguard residents and businesses against the ravenous damage a flood can cause. Make no mistake, robust funding for the Corps' Construction Account is vital to complete these projects. And I am pleased we could work to add these additional dollars toward that critical fight.
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If you'd like to see the entire text of Congressman Cleavers speech on the House floor on this, please visit: www.cleaver.house.gov.
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When local business leaders you know and trust tell you they fear their businesses are about to be cut off at the knees, you sit up and take note.
The battle in Congress over the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank is, in my opinion, the most important yet obscure issue of the day.
If the Bank is not reauthorized, businesses throughout our area will be forced to cut employees, or even close their doors.
That is why I invited area business leaders and owners, from workplaces large and small, to sit down with me at the Chamber of Commerce in Kansas City this week to talk with me about this issue.
They painted a picture that was dire indeed. For one local businessman, reauthorization would likely triple his workforce in the next couple of years - without it however, will begin cutting jobs immediately.
I was pleased to bring the Regional Director of the Export-Import Bank, Mark Klein, into Kansas City from Chicago, to share his expertise, opinions, and answer questions directly.
A quick background on the Export-Import Bank of the United States:
- It is the nation's official export credit agency.
- It functions as an independent, self-sustaining government agency.
- It was created more than 80 years ago to support American jobs by assisting in the export of American goods and services.
Why is reauthorization important?
- Over the last five years, the Ex-Im Bank has supported 1.2 million private-sector American jobs.
- It has generated more than $2 Billion for U.S. taxpayers.
- It has cost taxpayers nothing.
What is at stake?
- If Congress does not act soon, the Bank may face a lapse in authorization.
- If this happens, business and economic leaders fear a massive loss of American jobs, and the ability to export American products and services.
- The Bank has been reauthorized under Republican and Democratic Administrations 16 times since 1945.
- It was last reauthorized in 2012.
I will continue to work to see that the Ex-Im Bank is reauthorized by Congress because it is good for Missouri's Fifth District and it's good for small business. It means new jobs, economic growth here at home, and the opening of doors to allow American businesses to compete overseas in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
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Its official. Jane Chu is now the Chairwoman of the National Endowment for the Arts. She was the first president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for Performing Arts in Kansas City, and will now show the country her Midwestern class, common sense, and ability to stretch a dollar.
Her nomination for the position by President Barack Obama passed the Senate recently without any opposition. And as you know, in Washington, there is rarely anything done without any opposition.
Earlier this year, Jane Chu and I, along with my wife Dianne, visited about her nomination, what it would mean to Missouri's Fifth District, and what it would mean to her.
We visited again recently when she was in Washington after she was confirmed. I think Jane Chu has an extraordinary dedication to making art accessible to everyone. She is widely known for maximizing each dollar and building critically important public-private partnerships.
Now, and when she oversaw the newly opened Kauffman Center, Chu believed the greatest mission of culture and art is to bring people together. Rich and poor. Young and old. Black and white. It's a mission I admire and I wish her the best in this new adventure in her life.
Social media is revolutionizing the way we communicate, so be sure to stay up to date on things happening by following me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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Growing up, in a love-strong but financially-fragile family, my mother had "good dishes." My three sisters and I rotated the responsibility of washing dishes after each meal. During one of my times to do the dishes, my mother witnessed me carelessly carrying an armful of dishes from the table to the sink; she banned me from washing the good dishes. "Thank you Jesus!"
Later, my mother realized that what she had hoped would have been belittlement, was to me a blessing. The result was a revised rule. Now I was diabolically kicked back into the dish washing queue with the wanton warning: there will be no mercy shown for dropping any dish because the load I was carrying was heavy.
Sometimes, when I am frustrated over the fact that Congress can't seem to get big things done, I can hear my mother saying, "There is no excuse for dropping things just because they are heavy." And these days, things seem extraordinarily heavy. But with my mother's voice in my ear, I brush off the frustration, knowing those we serve deserve our best regardless of the weight of the challenge.
After all, heavy lifting and great accomplishments usually come hand in hand.