EC From DC - June 8, 2012

This week I cosponsored an amendment that I believe is critically important to Kansas City and all of Missouri's Fifth District. The amendment was to the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. In short, I continued to protest that Kansas City was cut from eligibility for such funding in the past – and I keep fighting to right that wrong. The funding cut, in my opinion, leaves a huge hole in emergency services in the event of a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

Two years ago, during budget cuts, Kansas City was one of dozens of cities cut from the list of those eligible from taking part in the Urban Areas Security Intiative (UASI) program. My amendment was an effort to continue that funding so emergency workers and all citizens of the Fifth District have the protection they both need and deserve in the event of a disaster. My amendment would increase funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's State and Local Program by $58M and would allow Kansas City to compete for these grant dollars. UASI makes it possible for communities to have the latest in training, technology and equipment to prevent and prepare for terrorist threats, attacks and other major disasters.

Without this money, the jobs of police officers, firefighters and first responders become much more difficult. From tornadoes to terrorists we must do all we can to make sure we are prepared, and that the tools and techniques available to emergency workers are top-notch. In fact, after the F5 tornado that touched down in Joplin last year, three UASI funded search and rescue vehicles from the Kansas City area were sent to rescue survivors.

If the safety and security of our communities is not a clear priority, I don't know what is. Kansas City should remain eligible for these funds. That has always been my stance – and will continue to be.

On a separate note – I voted against three amendments to the Homeland Security Appropriations Bill that would have directly eliminated funding for the National Bio-Agro Facility. All three of those amendments failed. So right now, the bill includes $75M for construction of this facility. It is a facility that is very important to our area's continued economic growth and ability to offer high-paying jobs. I continue to be hopeful that this funding will be included in the final version of the bill.

Student loans are an essential tool for thousands of Missouri's Fifth District families to be able to afford college tuition. But, in a few short weeks, federal student loan interest rates are set to double! They will increase from 3.4% to 6.8%, making the dream of going to college even more difficult for so many deserving students.

This week I urged my colleagues to act now. It is our responsibility to make sure that all children have the ability to pursue higher education. The cost of attending college has already gone up 28% over the last decade. We simply cannot afford to ignore the struggling students across this country – and right here at home.

The economy has made life uncertain enough. We can make no greater investment than in education. It is the foundation for our economy and the key for individuals to find good jobs. We cannot let pathological partisanship come before supporting students. Many on both sides of the aisle have spoken in support of keeping these interest rates from going up, and yet we have not found a compromise to make this happen.

If you'd like to see the entire speech: https://www.facebook.com/emanuelcleaverii

I was extremely disappointed this week that there was no up-or-down vote allowed in the Senate on the Paycheck Fairness Act. This is a piece of legislation that, seems to me, to be plain commonsense. It would strengthen the Equal Pay Act and help women fight against discrimination in pay. As I travel throughout the Fifth District, constituents often ask me to continue standing up for the middle class. That is something I will always do. Strengthening the middle class and creating a fair playing field is not only the right thing to do, it is essential to getting our country and our economy back on track.

Women still only earn about 77 cents for every dollar earned by men for the same work. In 2010, there were 23 million working mothers. This is not a women's issue, it is a family issue. Bringing home less money for equal work means fewer dollars for groceries, bills, doctors' visits, and of course, the list goes on and on.

Despite what happened on Capitol Hill this week, I will keep fighting for women and for all families. I have been a cosponsor of this legislation every time it has been introduced. Equal pay for equal work isn't a luxury; it should be a given in the greatest country in the world.

This week the Mobile Office was in Raytown providing answers to questions about Social Security, Veteran job opportunities and many other issues. This Wednesday, it will be at the South Independence Branch of the Mid-Continent Public Library. The library is located at 13700 E. 35th Street and the Mobile Office will be there from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.

If you'd like more information or to request a visit: /

Last week I introduced an amendment to make more money available for flood control and repair, at no added cost to taxpayers. This is of vital importance to farmers and ranchers in Missouri's Fifth District. There are still repairs that have not been completed in the wake of last year's devastating floods. And we must stay vigilant to make sure we are prepared in the event of another catastrophe.

People are tired of waiting and they shouldn't have to wait any longer. We all know emergencies will continue to occur and we must make sure the tools are there and ready to get the job done quickly and completely.

If you'd like to see the entire speech given on the House floor: https://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/clip.php?appid=601773602

If you'd like to see what the Missouri Farm Bureau has to say about this amendment: https://mofb.org/

As a small boy, growing up in a North Texas public housing complex, I overheard the "big boys" in our neighborhood say that if a frog is placed in cool water that is slowly heated, it will remain in the boiling water as it is cooked alive. The hypothesis is that the frog will immediately jump out of the boiling water, but if the frog does not perceive that it is in jeopardy as the water gradually is heated, it will remain in the water until it dies.

Henry Williams, my childhood friend who lived with his family in the next housing unit, and I decided to conduct our own experiment. Although it took us a couple a weeks to draft a frog for our important work, we finally found one after a big rain. I liberated a cooking pot from our kitchen and Henry and I went to a wooden area near the housing development. We placed the frog in the pot, filled it with water from the faucet, built a fire, and dropped the frog in. Don't you know, over and over again that fool frog hopped out of the pot.

Years later, maybe during my college days, I realized that the boiling frog story, no matter how wide its embrace, should be received in a metaphorical context. I realized it is used to suggest that ignoring a gradual change to something unwholesome or ruinous can lead to calamity. Having spoken with "long timers" on both sides of the aisle, I have concluded that the ungentlemanly and in some cases, uncharitable words of others House Members were not always commonplace. Slowly, the discourse in Washington was heated. While we are not yet boiling, the temperature is dangerously rising and bubbling over into the public square.

Colleagues, it is not too late to hop out of the warming water of pathological partisanship and discord.