Dem Rep Calls The Moon A Planet

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) received considerable criticism this week after getting basic facts about the moon and the sun wrong when discussing the solar eclipse. The errors are not new for Jackson Lee, who has been regularly criticized for a number of unsupported claims and accusations of abuse.

The Texas Democrat made the comments during an assembly of Houston-area high school students.

“You’ve heard the word ‘full moon,’” she said. “Sometimes, you need to take the opportunity just to come out and see a full moon is that complete-rounded circle, which is made up mostly of gases. And that’s why the question is: Why or how could we as humans live on the moon? Are the gases such that we could do that?”

The students joined the representative during an event on Monday for the solar eclipse.

Sheila Jackson Lee (D) sat on the House Science Committee AND the House Space Committee

…and she thinks the moon is made of gas pic.twitter.com/1hLFFA2Tjs

— John Hasson (@SonofHas) April 9, 2024

“The sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the sun. The moon is more manageable,” she said.

Jackson Lee said that the moon yields “unique light and energy.”

“You have the energy of the moon at night,” she said.

She also said that the eclipse was the “closest distance that the moon has ever been in the last 20 years, which means that’s why they will shut the light down, because they will be close to the Earth, which is an amazing experience.”

This statement is incorrect.

“You will be able to tell because there will be complete darkness,” she added.

“I don’t know about you, I want to be first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on the moon,” Jackson Lee said. “That’s another planet which we’re going to see shortly.”

Jackson Lee later said she “misspoke.”

Jackson Lee has also been criticized for being unnecessarily combative with members of her staff, receiving considerable pushback for her conduct.

However, the representative lives in a district that is solidly Democratic, making the odds of her being ousted by voters lower.