(CNSNews.com) – In a brief speech on the House floor Wednesday, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) hailed the war on poverty, endorsed government welfare programs, and said the “safety net has to be something for all of us.”

“The word """welfare""" should be changed to something like, """a transitional living fund""" , for that is what it is — for people to be able to live,” she said.

Sheila Jackson Lee hailed the Earned Income Credit, food and nutrition programs, jobs training and education programs, Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act as “huge safety nets" — not handouts, but safety nets, she said.