Rep. Cleaver Appointed Ranking Member of Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance
A framed photo of the two-room shack, where Congressman Cleaver spent the first few years of his life, hangs in his Congressional office.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II released the following statement today on his election as the Ranking Democratic Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, which is part of the House Committee on Financial Services:
"Today, my colleagues have elected me to lead Democrats on the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. Since my election to Congress, I have been privileged to serve on the House Committee on Financial Services. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve in this new role, and eager to lead on an issue that has been important to me my entire life.
"The American Dream, to many Americans, is a simple one. Many tire and toil just to have an opportunity to raise their family in a place they can call their very own home. My family, including my three sisters and mother and father, lived in a two-room shack in Waxahachie, Texas. When I was a child, we moved to public housing in nearby Wichita Falls. My father worked three jobs so he could eventually buy the home he still resides in today. My family's story is the American story, and one of uplifting success. Many other American families have not been so fortunate.
"Our housing market is recovering but still struggling to gain momentum. We have more work to do to increase opportunities for families around the country; to expand access to housing for both urban and rural communities; to preserve the Fair Housing Act; to end homelessness; to monitor government-sponsored insurance programs, including flood insurance, terrorism risk insurance, and private mortgage insurance; and to ensure low-income and vulnerable communities have the resources they need to succeed, the access to civic, social, and economic opportunities they deserve, and the freedom from digital redlining. With Republicans in charge of Congress, and a Democratic President in the White House, there is a unique opportunity for us to work together on federal housing policy. I look forward to working with my Democratic and Republican colleagues on these and other important housing and insurance issues."
The Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance oversees the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (which includes the Federal Housing Administration), the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), the Rural Housing Service (RHS) at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) at the Department of Treasury. The subcommittee considers matters related to rental housing, community and economic development, homeownership, and rural housing issues. The subcommittee also handles matters related to government-sponsored insurance programs, including the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program and private mortgage insurance.
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, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and also serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus.