RICHMOND – U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II applauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s move to provide up to $1.15 billion through the ReConnect Program to help rural Americans, including in Ray County, access high-speed internet. “That’s a major win for my constituents in Marshall, Sweet Springs, Odessa, Richmond, Lexington and all throughout the 5th Congressional District of Missouri, and I look forward to working with these communities to ensure they get the funding they need and deserve,” Cleaver said. The funding will allow for a significant expansion of broadband access in rural communities in Missouri and other states throughout the country, information from his office stated. Cleaver has long backed the ReConnect Program, which received another $100 million in funding through the Cleaver-approved CARES Act and is typically funded through the annual agriculture appropriations legislation. “If we’re going to truly build back better, then closing the digital divide and investing…