Sheila Jackson Lee: “Let me say that the gentleman from New York is doing an excellent job. He has translated the great leadership of the New…”

“Let me say that the gentleman from New York is doing an excellent job. He has translated the great leadership of the New York legislature and brought it here to the House. We thank the gentleman for his service. I have been affected by the gentleman from Georgia's comments. We have been on this floor together, and I know that we have a heart of service. As well--coming from Georgia, coming from Texas--we know veterans and we certainly know Active-Duty persons as well. So I rise to support the policy underpinnings of this legislation that has been so well articulated by the gentleman from New York. And it is important to note, just as background: When this government was wrongly shut down, we lost $11 billion, $3 billion that we will never see again and $8 billion that we may see again. But, in the course of that, all of us interacted with our veterans, many of them devastated because some of them were in positions that caused them to be furloughed. That means they were not getting a paycheck. Some of them, of course, are disabled veterans or veterans who are engaged in the veterans' health system. And we know that these veterans have pride.…”