Delegate Stacey Plaskett received a standing ovation Friday when she challenged the status of the nation’s territories at the opening of Congress in Washington, D.C., when they were not called upon to vote in the election for speaker of the House.
That move set up a confrontation with the House Parliamentarian Jason Smith, who she demanded read the rules regarding the lack of voting rights for the delegates of territories and the District of Columbia, versus state representatives.
It also led to jeers from Republicans across the aisle, prompting Plaskett to admonish them to “have some respect.”
“I notice that the representatives from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia were not called, representing collectively four million Americans,” she said to loud applause from her Democratic colleagues that turned into a standing ovation.
“Mr. Speaker, collectively the largest per capita of veterans in this country,” Plaskett added.
“Does the gentle lady have a parliamentary inquiry?” asked Smith.
“I ask why they were not called from the Parliamentarian, please,” Plaskett replied.
“Delegates-elect and the resident commissioner-elect are not qualified to vote. Representatives-elect are the only individuals qualified to vote in the election of a speaker. The speaker is elected by a majority of the members-elect voting by surname,” he replied, reading from the House rules.
Those rules are tied to a series of racist U.S. Supreme Court opinions from the turn of the last century — known collectively as the Insular Cases — that denied full rights to residents of U.S. territories and have survived numerous legal challenges through the years.
“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This body and this nation has a territories and a colonies problem. What was supposed to be temporary has effectively become permanent,” said Plaskett, speaking over jeers from Republicans and efforts by Smith to cut her off, slamming his gavel and telling her she was no longer recognized to speak.
“We must do something about this problem,” she said, before the microphone was cut off and she had to yell the rest of her speech, which was inaudible to viewers watching from home but led to another standing ovation and loud cheers from her colleagues.
Among other national networks, MSNBC’s broadcast of Plaskett’s speech can be viewed here. The vote for the speaker of the House was carried by C-Span. Speaker Mike Johnson won re-election over House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, 218-215, in a second-round ballot after two Republican holdouts changed their votes.
