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Cleaver signaled support for affordable housing, energy efficient housing, and bridging the digital divide in his remarks
Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) today spoke to attendees at Habitat for Humanity's annual conference. In his remarks, Congressman Cleaver emphasized the need to expand affordable housing, to increase both rural and urban development, and to encourage energy efficient and green housing. Rep. Cleaver received a standing ovation following his speech. U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro also offered remarks.
I was forty-five years old when the World Wide Web was invented in 1989. Up until the year 2000, my family did not have a personal computer, or a connection to the Internet. We picked up the phone or we sent a letter in the mail. These days, you can barely get by without it. I have a smartphone in my pocket, an iPad at home, and a desktop PC at both of my offices. Now, I still write my speeches out longhand. But when I need to change my health insurance, read the news, or listen to music, I sit down at my desk and get on the Internet.
Today, Congressman Cleaver called on Google to expand internet access in low-income communities. On March 30, 2011, after a competitive selection process, both Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas were selected as launch sites for the Fiber project. By September 2012, the results of the pre-registration process were clear. Nearly all the neighborhoods that failed to qualify for the service were located east of Troost Avenue, the city's historical socioeconomic dividing line.
This past weekend, a former elected official asked me which airport in D.C. I use. I replied, "Almost 100% of the time I fly into Reagan National." He recoiled and said, "I never say the name of that man, I just say ‘National Airport.'" I launched into my much-worn speech about my fear that if we continue this political tribalism, we will enfeeble this nation for our children and their children. But unfortunately, I don't believe I converted him. He went into what must be a much-worn speech of his own, a sort of, "look what they do" response.
Today, U.S. Representatives Emanuel Cleaver, II (MO-05) and Al Green (TX-09) announced that President Obama has included funding for body cameras in his FY2016 budget.
Missouri's Fifth District is what I like to call a microcosm of our country. Our urban and rural communities depend on and derive strength from one another in a symbiotic, beneficial relationship. We have a vibrant city center so cool that the Huffington Post named it the coolest city in America. We have abundant farmland where our farmers grow soybeans and corn, and ranchers tend livestock. We have beautiful and welcoming suburbs where families flourish.
After a personal call with Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Richard Cordray, U.S. Congressman Emanuel Cleaver today announced that the CFPB will propose changes to existing mortgage rules to promote responsible lending by small creditors, especially in rural and underserved areas. If finalized, the proposal would increase the number of financial institutions able to offer certain kinds of mortgages in rural and underserved areas, and help small creditors adjust their business practices to comply with the new rules.
Preachers tell the story of the passion play, presented in a big city park during the holy week of the Christian tradition. As the actors processed up a hillside, the young man portraying Christ carried a heavy cross. At the top of the hill, a hostile spectator confronted the man portraying Christ and yelled out, "This cross myth is so hokey pokey that you look like a buffoon." The actor laid down the cross, walked over to the heckler, and punched him square in the mouth.
