[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 113 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H5266-H5267]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AN UMBRELLA ON A RAINY DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman who preceded me 
for that very powerful message; and it reminds us generally of, really, 
the elements of our presence here in this House. When we represent the 
people of this country, it is important that we are lawmakers and that 
we have the compassion that was evidenced by the movement that Dr. King 
led and by the movement that he was leading at the time of the tragedy 
of his death and that was, of course, the Poor People's March in 1968.
  I rise today to discuss that capacity and to say that I know that our 
friends, Republicans and Democrats, can come together around important 
service elements that this Nation engages in. The Federal Government is 
an umbrella on a rainy day. It is the engine of the economy. It is the 
answer to issues such as transportation and housing. It really provides 
housing to working families. It boosts the middle class and poor 
families, and it gives jobs to builders and contractors. So that is 
why, I think, it was quite appropriate for this, unfortunately, poorly 
driven and constructed Transportation, Housing and Urban Development 
appropriations bill to go to its timely death.
  How can you with any compassion cut so much money that you cut even 
the amount of money under the present budget, and you cut 9 percent 
below the level now mandated by the across-the-board spending cuts by 
sequestration?
  You went below that. This bill was $44.1 billion--shameful--cutting 
public housing, cutting housing vouchers, cutting opportunities for the 
homeless, and particularly for our young people. As the cochair of the 
Congressional Children's Caucus, every day, I note that children in 
America suffer for a variety of reasons. The Senate, of course, had a 
bill, which they are pushing through, that was at the $54 billion 
level--still very far short of the great needs of this community.
  So I rise today to say that it landed with a thud, and I think, more 
importantly, my colleague from Texas--again, from Houston--spoke on the 
floor of the House about some untimely language on page 52--I remember 
it--that cut into the light rail system of Houston. It would impact my 
district. It would stop students at the University of Houston and at 
Texas Southern University from being able to have access to rail by 
cutting down on their travel costs because there was a provision in the 
bill that did not fund just a sector of that light rail.

                              {time}  1015

  My colleagues, how can you build light rail when you cut it in the 
middle, almost like the western movies, where the train rushes up and 
finds a big hole over the mountains where something has happened and it 
can't go any further?
  It was a bill that was destined to die and should have died because 
it lacked compassion. I stand here opposing any language that does not 
fund or find an alternative route in any community's light rail new 
starts on which that community chooses to move forward. In Houston, we 
should not be attacked, if you will, for that kind of singular 
targeting. Our light rail should proceed.

[[Page H5267]]

  I rise today to again reinforce this question of homelessness by 
showing this picture, which sates, ``Houston seeks better ways to serve 
homeless youth,'' and to be able to indicate that in trying to count 
homeless youth, they were only able to count a tenth, 378. When 
Houston's leadership went out on streets to try and count them, there 
were over 4,000. Our school districts say there are 19,000. Yet, we 
have a home called Little Audrey that the very public dollars that are 
supposed to be in the HUD funding could fund. We have a directive 
housing community development near Ratcliff that has a million dollars 
that could fund this particular facility. Mind you, in a city as large 
as Houston, there are only four for homeless youth.
  I visited Little Audrey. These are the kind of young people who are 
there:
  A young man who lived in a crack house not because he was on crack, 
but because he had no place else to live. He's found his way to Little 
Audrey; or the twins whose father died in Hurricane Katrina, were 
brought here by their mother to Houston, and then the mother died and 
they were homeless; or a young woman who was abused; or a young man who 
came and was put out of his house, from Dallas.
  Little Audrey is a refuge that would be as helpful to the children 
that I met with and sat down with as this young man is being helped by 
Covenant House. Covenant House cannot do it alone. So it is important 
that communities who receive the public dollars, who, given the 
opportunity such as the public facilities dollars that the Housing and 
Community Development office has in the city of Houston, utilize it so 
we do not have this kind of shame in our community.
  I look forward to working with the city Housing and Community 
Development and the Secretary of Housing to stop youth homelessness in 
America and to helping these young people. I know we can do it 
together.

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