Congressman Cleaver Joins Bipartisan Push to Create Stronger Oversight of Missouri River Management

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) announced that he has joined a bipartisan call for stronger oversight of Missouri River Management. In a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers delivered last week, Congressman Cleaver joined Reps. Bob Onder (R-MO) and Chris Deluzio (D-PA), along with 34 other lawmakers, in calling for the creation of an Inland Navigation Construction Organization (INCO) within the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Headquarters to coordinate inland waterway infrastructure projects at the federal level.

The proposed INCO would strengthen transparency, establish clear accountability across all levels of project management, and improve the coordination of planning, strategy, and execution for critical inland waterway infrastructure projects. By creating a centralized system of oversight, and checks and balances, the INCO would help ensure federal investments are managed more efficiently and effectively.

“Proper coordination is critical to efficient and effective management of taxpayer dollars,” said Congressman Cleaver. “By establishing an organization within the Army Corps of Engineers with the sole responsibility of overseeing federal investments dedicated to our nation’s inland waterway system, we can ensure projects move forward in a timely manner and without wasteful spending. I am proud to join colleagues in this bipartisan push to establish the Inland Navigation Construction Organization, which will benefit communities across the Show Me State.”

“America’s inland waterways are one of our greatest natural advantages over our competitors, and they’re currently managed through a patchwork of disconnected regional structures, with limited centralized oversight and little long-term strategic coordination. Actions taken upstream on the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers have significant downstream consequences for communities in Missouri’s Third District, yet no single entity is responsible for evaluating inland navigation projects as a whole or ensuring that these federal projects are being run effectively,” said Congressman Onder. “Establishing INCO would strengthen accountability and help ensure taxpayer dollars are invested efficiently to support the long-term reliability, competitiveness, and resilience of America’s inland waterways.”

“Western Pennsylvania’s inland waterways helped power the Industrial Revolution and remain critical to our regional economy today, supporting manufacturing, energy, and good-paying jobs across our Commonwealth,” said Congressman Deluzio. “That’s why I support establishing an Inland Navigation Construction Organization within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to strengthen oversight of federal infrastructure investments and ensure America’s inland waterway system remains competitive for generations to come.”

"In the St. Louis region, our river is a huge deal– serving as an opportunity for regional growth," said Congressman Wesley Bell (D-MO). "Only three major inland navigation projects have been finished over the past almost three decades. We can do better. I’m proud to support this bipartisan letter because Missouri’s First District, and all of the other areas impacted, deserve to have more accountability and resources put into the management and development of inland waterways. By fixing the Army Corps of Engineers’ project delivery model, we can expand work opportunities in the region and promote economic development."

“Missouri’s inland waterways are vital to our economy, but delays and fragmented management have slowed critical improvements for too long. I support creating an Inland Navigation Construction Organization within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to improve coordination, accountability, and deliver these projects more efficiently,” said Congressman Mark Alford (R-MO).

The inland waterway system is a cornerstone of the American economy, moving hundreds of millions of tons of commerce annually and supporting agriculture, energy production, manufacturing, and exports across the country. However, aging locks and dams continue to create bottlenecks that increase transportation costs, disrupt supply chains, and weaken America’s global competitiveness. Modernizing this infrastructure is capital-intensive, spans multiple states and decades, and requires consistent, long-term oversight from a structure that does not currently exist in adequate form.

Despite years of sustained policy changes and congressional appropriations, the inland waterway modernization program has produced troubling results. Only three major inland navigation projects have been completed in the past 28 years, while numerous ongoing projects have experienced significant cost overruns and schedule delays, in some cases extending a decade or more beyond original projections.

Inland waterways are national infrastructure assets that require national-level coordination. The time has come to treat the inland waterway modernization program as what it is: a single, interconnected national program that demands unified leadership and strategic oversight.

Importantly, the INCO would not remove project delivery authority from USACE Districts or Divisions, limit Congress’s authority over appropriations, or require new statutory authority for USACE implementation. Instead, it would reorganize and strengthen coordination of existing responsibilities to improve accountability, efficiency, and long-term program management.

The official letter from lawmakers is available here.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.