Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announces cancer diagnosis

WASHINGTON — Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, announced on Sunday that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing treatment.

Jackson Lee said it is “likely” that she will be “occasionally absent from Congress,” but she assured her district, which encompasses part of Houston, that her office “will continue to deliver the vital constituent services that you deserve and expect.”

“I am confident that my doctors have developed the best possible plan to target my specific disease,” she said in a press release posted to X. “The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.”

Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, and other representatives have recently faced health issues that impacted attendance. In August of last year, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced that he was being treated for cancer. He, too, had occasional absences as he recovered from treatment.

Jackson Lee serves on the Judiciary, Homeland Security and Budget committees. She has served in the House since 1995.

“Please keep me and my family in your prayers as you have always done,” she said in the press release. “Know that you will remain in mine.”