EC from DC - October 5, 2012

Congressman Cleaver joins Grandview Mayor Steve Dennis and others to cut the ribbon on new home

Celebrating jobs and growth in the economy is one of the best parts of serving as U.S. Representative for Missouri’s Fifth District. And that is exactly what we did recently in Grandview.

In a subdivision that was sitting empty following recession foreclosures, there is now hope. In the Norby Gardens neighborhood, along with Grandview Mayor Steve Dennis and representatives from the Builders Development Corporation, we cut the ribbon to mark the opening of five new homes.

In an area that had offered little optimism for nearby residents, there will soon be five new families moving into energy-efficient and affordable homes. The neighborhood is coming back to life.

I was honored to help secure funding for this economic growth through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The Builders Development Corporation uses this NSP funding to buy vacant and/or foreclosed properties, build homes or fix them up, and then sell them to families.

Our tireless work in Grandview, and throughout the Fifth District, must and will continue. Creating and keeping jobs remains my primary focus. And now, the Norby Gardens neighborhood will stand as a revitalized reminder to all of us, that while there is much to do – we are moving in the right direction.

I would like to share an update with you about our economy and what can be done about it. Today’s employment report provides further evidence that the U.S. economy is continuing to heal from the wounds inflicted by the worst downturn since the Great Depression. We lost more than 8 million jobs as a result of the Great Recession. Since the President has taken office, we have seen private sector jobs increase for 31 straight months, adding 5.2 million private sector jobs during that time period.

I remain committed to working together with my colleagues across the aisle to extend unemployment insurance benefits, payroll tax cuts, and infrastructure investments to help the middle class in the Fifth District and across the country. From the American Jobs Act to the Farm Bill, there are plenty of things we in Congress can do to help spur the economy and create jobs. If Congress could come together to pass the entire American Jobs Act, which includes further investment in infrastructure to rebuild our Nation’s ports, roads and highways, and assistance to state and local governments to prevent layoffs and to enable them to rehire hundreds of thousands of teachers and first responders, then we could create more than a million jobs. This month, I am back in Missouri’s Fifth District as Congress is in recess now. But I am ready to work together again, and soon, to address high poverty rates, a depressed housing market, and large household debt burdens experienced by all too many. Most of all, we must create jobs, restore confidence in our economy, and rebuild the middle-class.

According to the Labor Department’s most recent report, private employers added 114,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate fell to 7.8 percent. This is the lowest the unemployment rate has been in four years. More importantly, the rate fell for good reasons: more people found work. Wages rose, and more people started looking for work. Meanwhile, the number of unemployed tumbled by 456,000, while the number of people with jobs surged 873,000. Plus, in looking back at previous numbers, the Labor Department determined that the economy created 86,000 more jobs in July and August than they first estimated.

As you know better than anyone, there is more work that remains to be done. Long-term unemployment is still a problem, with 40 percent of the unemployed still looking for a job for more than six months. And the broader unemployment rate, known as the U-6 figure stayed at 14.7 percent in September. This is unacceptable. I will continue to focus my efforts on creating jobs and keeping our economy moving in the right direction. It is what is necessary – and what is right for the people of Missouri’s Fifth District.

Congressman Cleaver joins Marshall Mayor Mark Gooden and Fitzgibbon Hospital personnel at the groundbreaking of new medical building

In addition to having spent a few hours in Slater earlier in the week, I enjoyed spending most of Thursday in Marshall, Missouri. There I listened to constituents about their concerns and hopes for a better future. After enjoying lunch at Applebee’s with some residents, I attended many meetings to discuss economic development and housing needs in the community. I also had the chance to visit with Missouri valley College President, Dr. Bonnie Humphrey, about her vision for the school’s future.

After a full day of meetings, I was pleased to have been invited to attend the groundbreaking of Fitzgibbon Hospital’s expansion for a new medical building. I have previously had the opportunity to meet with President and CEO Ron Ott and his Board and staff about their continued efforts to respond to the changing health care environment and be more patient-centered. The new facility will house physicians and nurses from several departments in a new 16,000-square-foot facility on the South 65 campus. Plans also include more than 25 exam rooms, procedure rooms, and a laboratory.

Consensus says they are honoring those who find ways to bring others together across all sorts of boundaries.

That has certainly been something I have tried to do. From co-founding the Civility Caucus with my Republican colleague, and friend, Rep. Shelley Moore-Capito, to speaking and living civility at every opportunity. The organization says ‘encouraging the kind of civility that doesn’t squelch conflict, but that gives people a voice and helps them work together across boundaries’ is important. I agree.

Emanuel Cleaver, II Member of Congress