(Molly Bruns, Headline USA) Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, revealed Sunday night that she was undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer, according to Axios.
“My doctors have confirmed my diagnosis of pancreatic cancer,” she said. “I am currently undergoing treatment to battle this disease that impacts tens of thousands of Americans every year… The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.”
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee issued the Following Statement: pic.twitter.com/1WnKAN2CQs
— Sheila Jackson Lee (@JacksonLeeTX18) June 3, 2024
Her statement also noted that she may have to “be occasionally absent from Congress, but rest assured [her] office will continue to deliver the vital constituent services that you deserve and expect.”
Twitter users on both sides of the political aisle met Jackson Lee’s statement with an outpouring of prayers and well wishes.
“May God grant you healing from this disease and the strength to fight it,” said Mollie Hemingway, editor of The Federalist.
May God grant you healing from this disease and strength to fight it.
— Mollie (@MZHemingway) June 3, 2024
“Praying for healing,” said Jenna Ellis, a lawyer who was on the Trump 2020 election team. “We disagree politically, but this is a time that both sides of the aisle should pray for you and your family.”
Jackson Lee recently won a primary election to retain her seat as representative of Texas’s 18th District, comprising parts of Houston and surrounding areas.
She lost a bid to become the city’s mayor last November.
Jackson Lee, a senior member of Congress with nearly 30 years of experience under her belt, has served on the House Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees.
In May, she reintroduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to the House Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance with the stated goal of reducing deaths related to police stops.
“This bid will finally hold law enforcement accountable for misconduct and separate them from the majority of those endowed with the ethic of just and equitable public safety,” a statement announcing the bill said. “While no single policy prescription will erase decades of systemic racism and excessive policing, the time has come for the federal government to create structural change with meaningful reforms.”
Congress has yet to vote on the bill.
Over the course of her tenure, Jackson Lee became notorious for her constantly divisive bills and painting her political opponents as racist.
