CUTTING WITH A BLINDFOLD WILL HURT MISSOURI
Sequestration begins
Automatic budget cuts begin March 1st – as you know, this is known as sequestration. These deep and non-strategic cuts will cause severe hemorrhaging in Missouri's Fifth District, and must be addressed responsibly and in a bipartisan manner.
Immediately – isn't soon enough. Congress has been kicking this can down the road for too long – and the road has now come to a dead end.
Missouri's economy is already frail, and these drastic and dangerous cuts will hurt children, seniors, small businesses, federal employees, and men and women who so proudly and selflessly wear a uniform to protect our country.
All of the bickering, political posturing and fact free debate must end. People of Missouri's Fifth District depend on – and certainly deserve – better from those of us in Washington. I have, and will continue, to call on all of my colleagues to do what is right for our nation's economy, and for our hardworking families. A new report from the White House reveals some startling statistics of the potential impact to our local communities if these arbitrary cuts are allowed to take place.
EDUCATION:
$11.9 million lost in Missouri for primary and secondary education Approximately 160 teacher and teacher's aide jobs at risk Almost 17,000 fewer students served Approximately $10.8 million lost in services and staff for children with disabilities
COLLEGE AID AND WORK-STUDY JOBS: Approximately 1,280 fewer low income students will receive aid Around 750 fewer students getting work-study jobs to assist in paying for college
MILITARY READINESS: Around 8,000 civilian Department of Defense civilian employees furloughed A reduction in gross pay by around $40.3 million
NUTRITION FOR SENIORS: And millions of additional dollars for law enforcement, public safety, public health initiatives, and the list goes on and on.
This is absurd. We absolutely need to cut spending, but we must do it responsibly. We can go a long way in accomplishing this by ending tax breaks for the largest oil and gas companies, and making sure millionaires pay their fair share. This is a time in our country when Republicans and Democrats must come together and work together – responsibly and with the goal of serving all Americans.
HUGE VICTORY FOR PROTECTING WOMEN *1 in 4 women in the United States is a victim of domestic violence.
*3 women in our country are murdered by their partners every day.
*1 out of every 6 women has survived attempted or completed sexual assault.
*15 million children in the United States are exposed to domestic violence each year.
These appalling numbers speak for themselves. And the faces behind them make clear why the House passage of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) this week was so very important.
The strong, bipartisan VAWA bill contains critical measures to protect vulnerable populations who have suffered too long from violence. This includes Native American women, immigrants, and members of the LGBT community. I was proud to be a cosponsor of the House version (H.R.11) of the Senate bill (S.47) that passed by a vote of 286-138. It was previously passed in the Senate.
The Leahy-Crapo Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (S.47) is a comprehensive bipartisan bill that passed in the Senate, 78-22, with the support of all Democrats, all female Senators, and a majority of Republicans. The bill, supported by the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women, a coalition of more than 1,300 organizations, incorporates years of analysis of the problem and solutions proposed by law enforcement, victims, and victims service providers.
This legislation provides for extended protections of survivors, as well as additional rape kits, a national registry of forensic evidence from sexual assault cases, domestic violence discussions on college campuses, more temporary housing for victims of domestic abuse, and stronger anti-trafficking statutes.
Women, and men, in Missouri's Fifth District have had to wait too long – more than 500 days – for the reauthorization of VAWA. Preventing domestic abuse, assisting victims, and prosecuting perpetrators are not partisan issues, but victories in protecting all women and all of those who have suffered in silence. My hope is they will not have to do so any longer.
The text of the legislation, for which Congressman Cleaver voted, can be found here.
HELPING COMMUNITIES STAY STRONG 
| Congressman Cleaver joins mayors from across the country to discuss
the importance of Community Development Block Grants |
I recently had the opportunity to attend a roundtable discussion with mayors from around the country. It was to talk about the future of Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and the need for this type of funding. There is much concern regarding the impact of sequestration. This week, the U.S. Conference of Mayors hosted its winter leadership meeting in Washington. A number of mayors, including the chair of the Conference's Committee on Community Development and Housing, the Honorable Setti Warren of Newton, Massachusetts, were in attendance. They joined several Members of Congress, including Congressman Capuano and Congressman Kennedy. As a former mayor, I am well aware of the need our cities have in funding housing, transportation, and infrastructure, and appreciated being able to participate in this roundtable with mayors from across the country.
CIVILITY CORNER
As a very young boy growing up in Waxahachie, Texas, I celebrated Tuesday evenings. This time was set aside each week for a 15 block walk with my mother and three sisters to visit Aunt Edna, our only known relative of our deceased grandfather. I am not sure how my sisters viewed that weekly visit, but for me, it was heavenly. Aunt Edna, my maternal grandfather's sister, was smart, well read, and wise. Sitting on her front porch, she taught us volumes of nursery rhymes and told us great stories, many of which I remember to this day.
While moving around in my congressional district this past weekend, I was asked by a leader of our business community whether things were as chaotic and bedraggled with Congress as the news reports. Quickly, almost without a second of contemplation, I said, "It's worse!" Later that night after reminiscing over the phone with my cousin from Fort Worth, the Rev. A.E. Cleaver, I thought about Aunt Edna, and suddenly, one of her sayings hit my conscious and psyche. She once taught us, "two men look at some bars, one sees mud and the other sees stars." I had no idea what that meant. It was, to my five or six year old mind, just another rhyme.
While this quote, I discovered later, was not an Aunt Edna original, I could have lived to be 100 and never heard such words. I have concluded that I will not be negative on the People's House. Yes, things are not as wholesome as I would like. However, I do realize that seeing mud through my remaining days in Congress is similar to being seasick for an entire voyage. Therefore, with all my heart, I will strain to see the stars.
Emanuel Cleaver, II
Member of Congress
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