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Democrat Delegate From Virgin Islands Shut Down Over Speaker Rant
Charlie Kirk Staff
01/06/2025
The 119th Congress opened with high drama as Democrat Delegate Stacey Plaskett from the U.S. Virgin Islands disrupted proceedings during the Speaker election.
Plaskett, who lacks voting power in Congress — which she is well aware of — took the floor in what was likely a staged outburst for political theater that upset many lawmakers and forced House Parliamentarian Jason Smith to explain fundamental procedural rules.
Plaskett’s protest focused on the non-voting status of delegates from U.S. territories, including the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and Guam, as well as the District of Columbia. Collectively, these jurisdictions represent nearly four million residents without voting representation in the House, she said.
Her passionate remarks soon escalated into a tense exchange with House GOP leadership.
“Mr. Speaker, I ask why the names of the delegates and resident commissioners were not called,” Plaskett demanded, interrupting the clerk’s reading of the roll. Her frustration led her to insist that Smith publicly state the rules prohibiting territorial delegates from voting in the Speaker election, but it also led to Republican calls for “order!” from the other side of the aisle.
Smith explained the voting procedure clearly, citing Section 36, which specifies that only representatives-elect from states are eligible to vote in the election of a Speaker.
“Representatives-elect are the only individuals qualified to vote in the election of a speaker, as provided in Section 36 of the House Rules and Manual,” the clerk said. Despite the explanation, Plaskett persisted, “This body, and this nation, has a territories and a colonies problem. What was supposed to be temporary has now effectively become permanent. We must do something about this problem.”
While she criticized the U.S. territories’ lack of voting rights, she did not explain why these issues have gone unresolved during decades of Democrat-led administrations. And her continued complaining eventually led to her mic being cut off.
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