Emanuel Cleaver, II is now serving his ninth term representing Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, the home district of President Harry Truman. He is a member of the House Committee on Financial Services; Chair of the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets; member of Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations; member of the House Committee on Homeland Security; member of the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations; and member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress.
Having served for twelve years on the city council of Missouri's largest municipality, Kansas City, Cleaver was elected as the city's first African American Mayor in 1991.
As you know, the threats we face continue to grow in number and complexity. Our law enforcement officers and first responders are doing all they can to be prepared, and we must do all we can to fight for them.
Securing Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) funds along with other federal funding to keep the metropolitan area at the forefront of emergency preparedness is critical. We need to make sure we are equipped with the best talent, training, and techniques, if disaster should strike.
I will continue to work to make sure we get what we need to help, not hamstring, our police officers, firefighters, first responders, and all others dedicating themselves to these unbelievably challenging jobs. They must be armed with the best to help get us through the worst.