Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee mocked for saying Moon is ‘made up mostly of gases:’ ‘Dumb as dirt’

Conservatives mocked Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, for a Monday speech she gave to students at a solar eclipse event where she claimed the moon is a planet largely made of gases.

The former top Democrat on the House Science Committee’s space subcommittee could be seen on video telling Booker T. Washington High School in Houston, "You’ve heard the word ‘full moon.’ 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."

Jackson Lee went on to say, "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?" By contrast, she remarked to high school students that living on the sun is not even remotely feasible, "The sun is a mighty powerful heat, but it’s almost impossible to go near the sun. The moon is more manageable."

After claiming that the eclipse was occurring because the moon is closer to the Earth than usual, rather than merely because of the day’s unique alignment of the sun and moon's orbit, she referred to the moon as a "planet" that she would be "first in line to know how to live and to be able to survive on."

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee gave a speech at a Texas high school where she appeared to make multiple errors about basic facts regarding our solar system.

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Her gaffe indeed caused a mixture of laughter and groaning about the state of politics on social media. 

Claremont Institute’s Jeremy Carl quipped, "Glad to see she put that Yale education to good use!"

"It looks like she's speaking to high school students who are either too mal-educated or too sleepy from boredom to break out into riotous laughter," PJ Media writer Stephen Green wrote. "Pray it's the latter."

Juanita Broaddrick, the former nursing administrator who accused former President Bill Clinton of raping her, wrote that Jackson Lee is "Dumb as dirt. Always has been."

"The party of 63 genders and pregnant men is now setting its sights on astronomy and space construction," Heritage fellow Delano Squires wrote. "What could go wrong?!"

"The party of science," Chaya Raichik, founder of LibsOfTikTok wrote.

"Democrat Congresswoman @JacksonLeeTX18 thinks the moon is made out of gas," conservative performance artist and activist Billboard Chris wrote. "Everyone knows it’s made out of cheese, which can make you gassy if you eat it. The moon itself is not gas."

President Joe Biden takes a selfie with Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) after delivering the State of the Union address on February 7, 2023 in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool/Getty Images)

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"It really is hard to nail down the dumbest person in Congress but Shiela’s among the pack," RedState columnist Buzz Patterson wrote alongside a laughing emoji.

Other commentators took a decidedly more serious tone, with many warning that politicians like this are the ones now steering America’s political future.

"People vote for this to make our laws, decide our taxes, and create a budget," radio host Rob O’Donnell wrote. "Wake up!"

"These are the kinds of people who vote on laws that affect all of us," Twitchy’s Doug Powers wrote.

Despite the fact she had talked about living on its surface, the congresswoman later tried to claim in a social media post, "Obviously I misspoke and meant to say the sun" when she was talking about the moon. She went on to claim "as usual, Republicans are focused on stupid things instead of stuff that really matters. What can I say though, foolish thinkers lust for stupidity!"

Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..