Sheila Jackson Lee: “Congresswoman Christensen, you don't know now how difficult it is for many of us to accept the assignment or the lack of…”

“Congresswoman Christensen, you don't know now how difficult it is for many of us to accept the assignment or the lack of assignment that this present majority leadership gave to the territories, and I want to thank you for placing this squarely on the record, frankly. We worked harmoniously with the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands and Samoa and Guam and other places, Puerto Rico. We worked because it was important to have the insight and constructive input on these legislative initiatives but, more importantly, on the floor of the House. So let me just reemphasize in joining you to say that the territories should not suffer. In the CR, they do. I just want to hold up, this was a letter to my colleagues, a letter to America, a letter to Houstonians. This is the long list of cuts, and let me just cite for you very quickly so that you understand what we're talking about. We have to cut, but can we do it in a manner that is constructive? Everybody is running from Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and we frankly understand that, and so they put the pressure on 16 percent, but you're cutting in the middle of the year, when people are dependent on this funding. Juvenile justice, $2.3 million. The COPS program, I already mentioned, many cops will be laid off. NASA, $379 million, literally stopping NASA, the National Aeronautics Space Administration, in its tracks, forgetting about human exploration, forgetting about science.”