Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announces cancer diagnosis

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

Jackson Lee said it was “likely” she would be “occasionally absent from Congress,” but she assured her district, which includes part of Houston, that her office “will continue to provide the essential services you deserve and you’re waiting.”

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

Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, and other representatives have recently faced health issues that have affected their participation. In August, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., announced he was being treated for cancer. He too was occasionally absent while recovering from treatment.

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

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