Date: 2013-08-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

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 Peoples 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 acrosstheboard spending cuts by sequestration? You went below that. This bill was $44.1 billionshamefulcutting public housing. cutting housing vouchers. cutting opportunities for the homeless. and particularly for our young people. As the cochair of the Congressional Childrens 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 push ing through. that was at the $54 billion levelstill 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 Texasagain. from Houstonspoke on the floor of the House about some untimely language on page 52I remember itthat 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. 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 cant 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 communitys 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. 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 Houstons 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. Hes 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.