Sheila Jackson Lee: “There was such expectation, as Members returned from their work recess in August. Many times, the American people are…”

“There was such expectation, as Members returned from their work recess in August. Many times, the American people are quizzical, inquisitive about the structure of our work. We are constitutionally mandated; and, in fact, we have major responsibilities of oversight; but we also are the umbrella on a rainy day. The Congress must rise to the occasion in time of war. It is our authority to declare war. We must rush to the aid of those Americans in need by our oversight over executive agencies, such as Homeland Security and FEMA, as we watched the suffering of our fellow Americans in the terrible storms of Baton Rouge, of the hurricanes up and down the east coast, of what happened on 9/11 or Sandy or Katrina or Rita or Hurricane Ike and many others. Hurricanes and others, it is up to us to do our work. Well, we are not doing our work. We left this place having had the Senate pass a $1.1 billion Zika funding bill--not what the executive asked, but a reasoned response to the crisis and emergency that we are facing. It is devastating in Puerto Rico, which is part of the United States. It is devastating to the people there. They are suffering greatly. Now we have found cases in parts of Florida, including areas that my colleague, Congresswoman Wilson, represents, and areas around Miami Beach.…”