{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-condemning-special-session-begin-mid", "Congressman Cleaver\u2019s Statement Condemning Special Session to Begin Mid-Decade Redistricting Without a New Census", "2025-08-29", "2025", "2025-08", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "Emanuel Cleaver", "C001061", "cleaver.house.gov", "cleaver", "https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases", "scraper", "(Kansas City, MO) \u2013 Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the following statement after Governor Mike Kehoe announced a special session to redraw Missouri\u2019s congressional map mid-decade, an unprecedented step taken at the direction of the president.\n\n\u201cI have had the privilege and distinct honor of serving the people of Missouri\u2019s Fifth Congressional District. I have always understood one truth: this seat does not belong to me. It belongs to the people. And today, that truth is under assault.\n\n\u201cPresident Trump\u2019s unprecedented directive to redraw our maps in the middle of the decade and without an updated census is not an act of democracy \u2013 it is an unconstitutional attack against it. This attempt to gerrymander Missouri will not simply change district lines, it will silence voices. It will deny representation. It will tell the people of Missouri that their lawmakers no longer wish to earn their vote, that elections are predetermined by the power brokers in Washington, and that politicians \u2013 not the people \u2013 will decide the outcome.\n\n\u201cRoughly 40% of Missourians cast their ballots for Democratic candidates last year, and they deserve representation in the People\u2019s House just as much as our Republican neighbors. Yet, in attempting to dismantle the Fifth District, state lawmakers would be working to drown out Missouri voices in favor of a single man a thousand miles away. It is my sincere hope that they will not give in to this short-sighted and irresponsible demand.\n\n\u201cBut let us be clear: Should this effort move forward, we will not concede.\n\n\u201cI will not surrender the voices of the people who entrusted me to fight for them. The people of the Fifth District and I will fight relentlessly to ensure Missouri never becomes an antidemocratic state, where politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their representatives. In the courts and at the ballot box, we will demand that the rule of law is upheld, our voices are heard, and democracy prevails.\n\n\u201cOur nation has endured wars, depressions, and great struggles for civil rights. And through it all, the principle that every vote counts has carried us forward. That principle is bigger than me, this seat, or any president looking to rig the rules for personal gain.\n\n\u201cThis is the line we must not let them cross. This is the continuation of our unrelenting struggle for justice. I will fight with every ounce of strength I have to defend democracy \u2013 and practice prudence in the best interest of my constituents, Missouri, and the country we love.\u201d\n\n###\n\nEmanuel 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.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T14:57:50Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://cleaver.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-cleavers-statement-condemning-special-session-begin-mid"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6034487634897232, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}