President Joe Biden expected in Houston for US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee's funeral services

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Sunday, July 28, 2024
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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- President Joe Biden will be in Houston to attend the Celebration of Life services for longtime Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who passed away on July 19 at 74 years old after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Houston plans to celebrate Lee with a week of remembrance services starting Monday, July 29.

Biden plans to stop in Houston on Monday after an event in Austin at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library.

The White House made the announcement on Sunday, a day after Vice President Kamala Harris said she would be attending Lee's Thursday funeral service.

Harris called Congresswoman Lee a dear friend of hers after both being members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the Congressional Black Caucus.

Following the congresswoman's passing, Harris noted that Lee was "a tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and the people of America."

RELATED: Houston lawmaker, US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, has died at 74

This visit will be Harris' third trip to Texas and her second visit to Houston in the last month.

The VP visited Dallas after the July 4th weekend as the keynote speaker at Alpha Kappa Alpha's 71st Boulé.

On Wednesday, Harris arrived in Houston to visit the city's Emergency Operations Center to receive a briefing on the ongoing recovery efforts after Hurricane Beryl roared through the area on July 8.

RELATED: VP Kamala Harris addresses teachers' union in Houston: 'I thank you for your service to our nation'

She met with several city officials, including Mayor Whitmire, who said he "looks forward to working with her."

Thursday, the vice president spoke at the George R. Brown Convention Center at the American Federation of Teachers convention and thanked the educators for "their service to the nation."

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