HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — President Joe Biden will attend the Celebration of Life services for the late Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who passed away on July 19 at the age of 74 due to pancreatic cancer.
Houston will honor Lee with a series of remembrance events starting on Monday, July 29.
Biden plans to visit Houston on Monday after an event at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library in Austin. The White House announced this visit on Sunday, just a day after Vice President Kamala Harris confirmed she would attend Lee’s funeral service on Thursday.
Harris, who described Lee as a dear friend and fellow member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and the Congressional Black Caucus, praised Lee as “a tenacious advocate for justice and a tireless fighter for the people of Houston and America.”
This visit marks Harris’ third trip to Texas and her second visit to Houston in the past month.
Earlier this month, Harris visited Dallas as the keynote speaker at Alpha Kappa Alpha’s 71st Boulé. On Wednesday, she arrived in Houston to visit the city’s Emergency Operations Center for a briefing on recovery efforts following Hurricane Beryl, which struck on July 8.
During her visit, Harris met with several city officials, including Mayor Whitmire, who expressed his eagerness to collaborate with her. On Thursday, the vice president spoke at the George R. Brown Convention Center during the American Federation of Teachers convention, where she thanked educators for their service to the nation.
