Delegate Goes to Bat for Guam, CNMI, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C.

Will Our Guam & CNMI Delegates Stand Up for Us the Way Stacey Plaskett Did Today?

In this episode of Two Sides of the Lightbulb, hosts Carlos Pangelinan and Troy Torres engage with former Guam Congressman Michael San Nicolas about today’s show stopper in Washington, D.C., when the new House members were electing the new Congress’ speaker.

Delegate Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands – shown in a now viral video by MSNBC – forced the House parliamentarian to answer why the delegates from the territories and Washington, D.C. were not allowed to vote for speaker of the House. It all came down to the rules of the House, which were adopted by the party in power.

Mr. San Nicolas explained how all this works, and how Guam and the CNMI’s delegates can take advantage of this moment in history to the benefit of our underrepresented peoples.