Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, for myself and for the Delegates from American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico, I offered a motion earlier that the House conduct a full and complete study of the constitutionality of the vote in the Committee of the Whole for the Delegates which is eliminated by this rule. This is nearly the same motion that the Republicans offered when we first were granted the right to vote on the House floor. The delegate vote was challenged by the Republicans in the courts and found to be constitutional, however. Madam Speaker, this vote is a mere recognition of our American citizenship. The Delegates are no different from others in this House. It is one thing not to have the vote. It is quite another to be stripped of your vote. The vote is said to be symbolic by some. Well, to us it is symbolic. It is symbolic of the American citizenship of our constituents. It meant everything to us. There are differences among us, of course, but we ask you to think again about this vote and to restore the vote of the Delegates on the floor in the Committee of the Whole.”