plaskett of the vir-in ilan. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on amendment 6 offered by the gentlewoman from the virgin islands. members will record their votes by electronic device. [captioning made possible by the national captioning institute, inc., in cooperation with the united states house of representatives. any use of the closed-captioned coverage of the house proceedings for political or commercial purposes is expressly prohibited by the u.s. house of representatives.] the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman seek recognition? >> as the member designated by ms. stefanik of new york, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that ms. stefanik will vote no on the plaskett amendment number 6. additionally, as the member designated by mr. gonzalez of ohio, pursuant to house resolution 8, i inform the house that mr. gonzalez will also vote no on the plaskett amendment number 6. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentlewoman from california seek recognition?

plaskett: -- the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman's time has expired. ms. plaskett: asking for early screening. i yield back and thank you for the time. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from pennsylvania seek recognition? mr. joyce: madam speaker, i wish to address the house for one minute. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, you are recognized for one minute. mr. joyce: madam speaker, i rise today to recognize major general christopher donahue, the commander of the 82nd airborne division, and the last american soldier to leave afghanistan. a native of chambersburg, pennsylvania, and as an officer in our nation's special forces, general donahue has devoted his life to the service of our nation. join the global war on terror, general donahue has led soldiers in both iraq and afghanistan. he has always put his soldiers and their mission first. as the final soldier in afghanistan, general donahue showed his devotion to our nation yet again. this man is a leader, and our nation is well served with him commanding our airborne

plaskett. ms. plaskett: plaskett votes no. the clerk: ms. plaskett votes no. mr. brady. mr. brady: brady, aye. the clerk: mr. brady votes aye. mr. nunes votes aye. mr. buchanan. mr. buchanan votes aye. mr. smith of nebraska. mr. smith of nebraska votes aye. mr. reed. mr. reed votes aye. mr. kelly votes aye. mr. smith of missouri. mr. smith of missouri votes aye. mr. rice. mr. rice votes aye. mr. schweikert. mr. schweikert votes yes. mrs. walorski. mrs. walorski votes yes. mr. lahood. mr. lahood votes yes. dr. wenstrup. dr. wenstrup votes yes. mr. arrington. mr. arrington: arrington is a yes. >> welcome to warsaw. you fought hard to get me back. the clerk: dr. ferguson. dr. ferguson votes yet. mr. estes votes yes. mr. smucker votes aye. mr. hern. mr. hern votes aye. mrs. miller. mrs. miller votes aye. mr. horsford. mr. chairman. chair neal: no. the clerk: mr. chairman votes no. i have 24 nays and 18 ayes. chair neal: there being 24 nays and 18 ayes. the amendment fails. are there other amendments to the amendment in the nature of a substitute? >> mr. chairman. chair neal: the

host: congresswoman stacey plaskett is in her fourth term as delegate from the u.s. virgin islands on with us this morning to talk about the debate in the house this week on the infrastructure package and what may be ahead in the house and the fate of the 3.5 trillion dollar budget reconciliation plan. welcome to washington journal. guest: thanks for having me here. host: we know you're caucus had an important meeting yesterday afternoon with the speaker. can you tell us what came out of that meeting? guest: the top line for me in the meeting was the recommitment of members of the democratic caucus to our shared unity and ideology. we all recognize that this is the process, that we come from different districts, but that we are all committed to doing what we believe is best for the people of america and that is president biden's build back better agenda. which includes the bipartisan infrastructure plan as well as budget reconciliation. and that we are all going to work really hard together to get all of those things done. host: that is a fairly full plate of legisla

plaskett? >> hold on a second. mr. chair? >> yes? >> how has plaskett voted? >> she has not. >> mr. chair, is it possible to have her recorded as no? >> yes, entirely possible. [laughter] >> mr. rice? mr. chairman? >> no. >> mr. chairman votes no. >> the clerk will report the tally. 25 no's in 17 ayes. >> the amendment fails. are there any limits to the amendment of nature of substitute? mr. schweikert? mr. thompson? >> i reserve a point of order. >> mr. schweikert will be recognized as soon as the amendment is done. the gentleman is recognize. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i feel slightly guilty for the small tree we killed on this amendment. personally, and i know a couple of the conversations i have had on the side with members here from both sides, there is a discomfort in the part of the conversation we have been having about where we are subsidizing the rich, whether electric vehicles, solar panels, battery walls, all these other things going on. i thought this was an elegant opportunity to take what is a policy bill, mr. thompson has been kind enough to let me lead. it is a goo

plaskett, for five minutes. ms. plaskett: thank you, madam speaker. this weekend, i have the honor to work on our budget reconciliation in the budget committee. the legislation contains economic development initiatives that i've long championed to create good-paying jobs while lowering costs and cutting taxes for american families. this is the kind of legislation that assures that the rest of the american people, that they have not been abandoned in their time of need. the build back better act is a true job creator, creating millions of jobs while tackling the climate crisis and ensuring that america will not only compete but lead the way to a more prosperous future. historic investments in clean energy technology will create two million jobs each year over the next decade while reducing carbon emissions by over 50% by year 2030. we also include investment in workforce training to connect workers to jobs, research and development to strengthen american manufacturing and access to credit and investment for small businesses. the build back better act w

plaskett votes no. mr. brady votes no. -- mr. brady votes aye. mr. nunez votes aye. mr.uchanan votes aye. mr. smith of nebraska votes aye. mr. reed votes aye. mr. kelly -- mr. smith of missouri votes aye. mr. rice votes aye. mr. schweikert votes yes. ms. will or ski votes yes. mr. lahood votes yes. dr. when strip votes yes. mr. arrington votes yes. dr. ferguson votes yes. mr. estes votes yes. mr. smucker votes aye. mr. hearn votes aye. misses miller votes aye. ms. sewall votes no. mr. kelly votes yes. mr. chairman votes no. i have 25 nays and 18 ayes the amendment fails. or the amendment -- are there any more amendments to the nature of the substitute? mr. rice has an amendment to the desk. mr. thompson has reserved a point of order. the amendment will be passed out and the chairman will be recognized. the gentleman is recognized to proceed. >> thank you, mr. chairman. i have to reiterate i have said before and my colleagues have said it as well, this process is fatally flawed. it is rushed to the point of ridiculousness. it was designed to prevent the minority from bein

horsford votes no. >> plaskett votes nay. >> ms. plaskett votes nay. mr. brady? >> mr. brady votes aye. >> mr. brady votes aye. mr. nunez votes aye. mr. buchanan votes aye. mr. smith of nebraska? mr. smith of nebraska? >> mr. smith of nebraska votes yes. >> mr. smith of nebraska votes yes. mr. reed? mr. reed votes aye. mr. kelly? mr. kelly votes aye. mr. smith of missouri votes aye. mr. rice? rep. rice: aye. >> mr. rice votes aye. mr. schweikert. mr. schweikert votes yes. ms. walorski votes yes. mr. lahood votes aye. dr. wenstrup votes yes. mr. arrington? mr. arrington? rep. arrington: yes. yes, sorry. >> mr. arrington votes yes. dr. ferguson? dr. ferguson votes yes. mr. estes? mr. estes votes yes. mr. smucker? mr. smucker votes aye. mr. hern votes aye. mrs. miller? mrs. miller votes aye. mr. blumenauer? mr. blumenauer votes no. mr. pascrell? mr. pascrell votes no. mr. higgins votes no. mr. evans? mr. evans votes no. mr. chairman? chair neal: no. >> mr. chairman votes no. chair neal: is the clerk prepared to walk with the kelly? >> yes, mr. chairman, i have 25 nays and

horsford votes no. >> plaskett votes nay. >> ms. plaskett votes nay. mr. brady? >> mr. brady votes aye. >> mr. brady votes aye. mr. nunez votes aye. mr. buchanan votes aye. mr. smith of nebraska? mr. smith of nebraska? >> mr. smith of nebraska votes yes. >> mr. smith of nebraska votes yes. mr. reed? mr. reed votes aye. mr. kelly? mr. kelly votes aye. mr. smith of missouri votes aye. mr. rice? rep. rice: aye. >> mr. rice votes aye. mr. schweikert. mr. schweikert votes yes. ms. walorski votes yes. mr. lahood votes aye. dr. wenstrup votes yes. mr. arrington? mr. arrington? rep. arrington: yes. yes, sorry. >> mr. arrington votes yes. dr. ferguson? dr. ferguson votes yes. mr. estes? mr. estes votes yes. mr. smucker? mr. smucker votes aye. mr. hern votes aye. mrs. miller? mrs. miller votes aye. mr. blumenauer? mr. blumenauer votes no. mr. pascrell? mr. pascrell votes no. mr. higgins votes no. mr. evans? mr. evans votes no. mr. chairman? chair neal: no. >> mr. chairman votes no. chair neal: is the clerk prepared to walk with the kelly? >> yes, mr. chairman, i have 25 nays and

. >> congresswoman stacey plaskett is in her fourth term as delegate from the u.s.n islands along with us this point to talk about the debate in the

representative stacey plaskett of the u.s.timen islands thank you for your time this morning. >> thank you have a good one. >>> you too. >>> coming up on "velshi," biden's booster battle, a major decision for the fda on the third covid jab could sideline the president's covid-19 plan, and high alert in d.c., 700 expected to gather in support of jailed insurrectionists. let's see if they show. but we have everything you need to to know about the awful rally taking place in d.c. then one small step for man, one giant leap for billionaires, the first ever civilian space flight wraps up the last orbit around the earth. countdown to splashdown coming up next. splashdown coming up next. instead of burning our past for power, we can harness the energy of the tiny electron. we can create new ways to connect. rethinking how we communicate to be more inclusive than ever. with app, cloud and anywhere workspace solutions, vmware helps companies navigate change. faster. vmware. welcome change. ♪♪ - water?! - hey you! catch! mio. thank you!

plaskett of virgin islands. the speaker pro tempore: pursuant to house resolution 667, the gentlewoman from virgin islands, ms. plaskett, and a member opposed, each will control five minutes. the chair recognizes the gentlewoman from the virgin islands. ms. plaskett: thank you, madam speaker. i rise in support of the amendment and yield myself three minutes. madam speaker, i first want to give a little bit of a history lesson and some information to my colleagues here. the virgin islands and the territories, many of whom are outside of the customs zone, when one comes to the u.s. virgin islands, in order to get to the mainland, you must go through customs and border protection, presenting passports, etc., as you would in a foreign country. my amendment responds to the need for an expedited nonimmigrant visitor visa program in the u.s. virgin islands that is now currently available to other u.s. territories outside of u.s. customs zones in the pacific. which would aid the virgin islands in allowing more visitors.

state -- stacey plaskett, thank you for being with us on washington journal. republican reaction to the critical debates happening this week on capitol hill. jeff fortenberry from nebraska joins us momentarily. >> download c-span's new mobile app and stay up-to-date with live video coverage of the days biggest political events and key congressional hearings. the white house and supreme court oral arguments. even our live interactive morning program where we hear your voices every day. c-span now has you covered. download the app for free today. >> washington post reporter craig whitlock begins chapter 15 in his new book the afghanistan papers this way. hamid karzai's fraudulent reelection worsened a delusion of corruption that engulfed afghanistan that worsened between 2009 and 2000 10. dark money cascaded over the country. moneylenders lugged suitcases loaded with a million dollars or more on flights leaving kabul so crooked businessmen and politicians could stash their ill-gotten fortunes offshore. we asked mr. whitlock to expand on this and other stories fr

plaskett, for five minutes. ms. plaskett: as a member of the virgin islands, the only congressional office within the english speaking caribbean, the plight of my haitian brothers and sisters are very close, not just the ones presently enduring egregious acts at the border but our brothers and sisters in haiti itself. the crisis unfolding before our eyes at the border is woefully symbolic of our nation's inconsistent and superficial response to the recurring capital amities in haiti specifically and the caribbean him generally. haiti faces a tremendous ongoing crisis. the recent natural disasters including a major earthquake, tropical storms and hurricanes, the effects of the covid-19 pandemic, health insecurity, the assassination of a prime minister, and the accompanying political instability, gang violence, along with large-scale deterioration of infrastructure and poverty. as we watch our fellow human beings seeking a better life, we need to ask ourselves, do they deserve the dignity of listening to their story?

plaskett, for five minutes. ms. plaskett: thank you, madam speaker. during one of my floor speeches last week, i shared the president biden's build back better plan embodied the vision of the american people and is the kind of legislation that assures our people hardworking americans across the country that we will not abandon them in their time of need. now i love history. tomorrow is a very special day in the virgin islands. it's contract day. i can't help but make the connection between the landmark provisions outlined in build back better, the transformational piece of legislation, and what is happening in our halls of congress as we come to the point of passing that with the struggle that took place in my home on st. croix on october 1, 1878. then known as the danish west indies, on that day in history almost 150 years ago, four brave stalwart women led the st. croix labor rebellion, also known to us in the virgin islands as the fire burn. we honor the memory and sacrifices made by those ancestors on this day which we call contract day. after sla

plaskett: what is that amount? mr. barthold: the $139,500 is the amount that is written as the qualifying maximum for wages eligible for the 50% credit to small employers under the amendment. del. plaskett: that amount is tied to the $139,500. mr. barthold: in the statutory language before you in the amendment, it is a specific dollar amount. del. plaskett: i believe the discussion was for it to be tied to social security maximum. with that amount be 142,000? mr. barthold: when we spoke privately about possible options at the staff level and with you, we talked about the social security maximum in the statu tory language. it was written as $139,500 by mistake. i am solely responsible for that error. del. plaskett: thank you. i yield back. thank you, sir. i want to thank you for your assistance and your staff's continual work on these complex matters. chair neal: let me recognize the gentleman from arizona. >> i would like to yield. chair neal: the gentleman has yielded to dr. ferguson. rep. ferguson: i want to go back

plaskett votes no. mr. brady votes aye. mr. nunez votes aye. mr. b cannon votes aye. mr. smith of nebraska votes aye. mr. reed votes aye. mr. kelly votes aye. mr. smith of missouri votes aye. mr. rice votes aye. mr. schweikert votes aye. mr. will lower ski votes aye. mr. lahood votes aye. dr. when strip votes yes. mr. arrington votes yes. mr. ferguson votes yes. mr. smucker votes aye. >> would you turn your camera on? >> it is on. can you hear me? >> we can hear you, we would love to see you. it is on from my end. mr. hearn votes aye. misses miller votes aye. mr. chairman votes no. >> with the clerk report the tally. >> i have 25 nays and 18 ayes, the amendment fails. are there any amendments to the amendment and the substitute? >> i have an amendment at the desk. i reserve a point of order. >> mr. thompson has reserved a point of order. the gentleman will be recognized as the amendment is passed out. >> you can see me now? >> no, i cannot proceed. you are good. >> thank you, mr. chairman. democrats spent the past few days talking about how to make the tax code fair. in t

plaskett. votes nay. mr. brady those pres. biden: aye . mr. nunez votes aye. mr. buchanan votes aye. mr. smith of nebraska votes mr. reed mr. kelly votes aye. mr. smith of missouri votes aye. mr. rice votes aye. mr. schweitzer votes yes. miss will or ski votes aye. mr. lahood, votes yes. dr. votes yes. mr. arrington votes yes. dr. ferguson votes yes. mr. estes votes yes. mr. smucker, votes pres. biden: aye. mr. hearn votes aye. misses miller votes aye. ms. delvenne no no votes. mr. chairman votes no. >> the clerk will tally the vote. >> i have 25 no's and 18 ayes. >> the amendment fails. does any other member want to offer an amendment? >> mr. thompson? >>>> i reserve a point of order. >> and we will perceive -- proceed with passing of mr. smith's amendment. -- passing out mr. smith's amendment. i believe the amendment has been passed out and those of us working remotely have it in their inbox. the gentleman from missouri is invited to speak in his amendment. >> it is my firm belief that american families are the foundation of our country. republicans have made it

plaskett: not american wealthy. this is the kind of legislation that makes america great. this is the kind of legislation that assures that the american people, that we have not abandoned them in their time of need. to remain the greatest nation, we must support the most vulnerable portion of america. importantly for my district, this bill contains specific measures to the much-needed economic recovery of the u.s. territories which have been severely tried in recent years. it fixes long-standing fiscal cliffs related to rebates on federal excise taxes on distilled spirit production in the countries, the rum carryover. the carryover has been a part of the fundamental tax relationship between the united states and its island territories before there was even an income tax. this bill would repeal the cap that's been imposed on the program since 1984. in addition, we are continuing to expand the federally funded child tax credit, including reimbursing the island's government who pay out the costs for providing the credit. the credit, as expanded in the american rescue plan, wo

. >> congresswoman plunkett -- plaskett, thank you for your participation today.it is pretty remarkable about the attendance that we have today. people have come on outside of our committee, and that's good, that's a good sign. great issue, because it sounded like the usual, educational jargon. we've got a job together to make this work, because it has such an important effect on people's lives. we see it time and time again. talking about covid, how can you not talk about education? that is just the beginning of the discussion. our next questioner is dr. davis. we are thankful he is here today. mr. davis, you have five minutes. dr. davis: thank you, mr. chairman. you are exactly correct. this hearing has been a great one. i want to thank you for letting me wave onto it. i have spent decades trying to help low income students afford college. coordinated aotc and pell grants, trying to make pell more taxable and better targeting the american opportunity tax credit or some of my first fields on this committee when i came. i am working closely with representatives to

. >> miss plaskett? >> no. >> miss weston? >> no. mr. scott? >> no. >> jackson lee? >> no. >> mr. cooper? >> no. >> mr. peter? >> mr. moulton? >> no. >> mr. smith? >> yes. >> mr. kelly? >> yes. >> mr. mcclintock? >> yes. >> mr. willsmith? >> yes. >> mr. smucker? >> yes. >> mr. jacobs? >> yes. >> mr. burgess? >> yes. >> mr. carter? >> yes. >> mr. klein? >> yes. >> miss boebert? >> yes. >> mr. donald? >> yes. >> mr. finch? >> yes. >> mr. good? >> yes. >> ms. henson? >> yes. >> ms. miller? >> yes. >> mr. peter? mr. peter? mr. chairman? >> you are on mute. >> chairman votes no. >> is there anyone who is wishing to change other vote? >> can you hear me? >> peter votes no. >> are there any other members wishing to vote or change other vote? >> on that boat, yes is 16, no is 21. >> the emotion is not agree to -- motion is not agree to. i want to start by thanking the members of this committee, we have worked together on this legislation. we want to thank the 13 committees of restrictions who collectively spent more than 165 hours working out this package and debating more than 850 amendm

plaskett here with us today. >> thank you so much, mr. chairman. thank you for convening such a really important and really dynamic hearing where we're getting some tremendous information that's going to really, i believe, inform this -- our committee on how to support higher education in young people and enrollment in community college. this is a question specifically for dr. susan johnson, but for all of the panelists. i've just learned for my district, the university of the virgin islands which is the only higher education institution in the virgin islands, in my district, has implemented a covid-19 vaccine requirement for all students, faculty, and staff. i learned that over 360 public and private colleges are requiring vaccination prior to enrollment with that number of institutions growing every day. as colleges are returning to in-class instruction, how has vaccination requirements affected enrollment for the fall semester? and how is the administration enforcing and supporting and confirming this compliance at this time? >> thank you for th

plaskett you are recognized to inquire for five minutes. >> thank you mr. chairman. i want to thank you for having these two panels offering their perspective on a number of issues related to closing the tax gap. one of the questions that i have -- it is a question that i asked to the first panel that i think would be also interesting to have the second panel answer as well. and that's related to reducing the tax gap which of course focuses on irs enforcement capabilities but somewhat -- what has been lost in the discussion is the role of adequate taxpayer services. ms. olson, i know that you talked quite a bit about that in your opening statement. i recall how important your work has been and your assistance to my constituents. i wanted to know if others in the panel might have some opinions on that as well. >> well, i can certainly go first, and let others -- >> sure. >> taxpayer service is just absolutely vital. it's not just in the form of picking up the phone, but it's in really trying -- really rethinking how you present information to taxpayers. the extent of

. >> congresswoman plunkett -- plaskett, thank you for your participation today. is pretty remarkable about the attendance that we have today. people have come on outside of our committee, and that's good, that's a good sign. great issue, because it sounded like the usual, educational jargon. we've got a job together to make this work, because it has such an important effect on people's lives. we see it time and time again. talking about covid, how can you not talk about education? that is just the beginning of the discussion. our next questioner is dr. davis. we are thankful he is here today. mr. davis, you have five minutes. dr. davis: thank you, mr. chairman. you are exactly correct. this hearing has been a great one. i want to thank you for letting me wave onto it. i have spent decades trying to help low income students afford college. coordinated aotc and pell grants, trying to make pell more taxable and better targeting the american opportunity tax credit or some of my first fields on this committee when i came. i am working closely with representatives to r

. >> miss plaskett? >> no. >> miss weston? >> no. >> mr. scott. >> no. >> miss jackson lee? >> cheryl jackson lee of texas votes no. >> mr. cooper? >> cooper votes no. >> mr. -- >> no. >> mr. peter? >> no. >> mr. moulton votes no. >> no. >> mr. smith? >> smith in missouri votes yes. >> mr. kelly? >> kelly from mississippi votes yes. >> mr. mcclintock? >> i. >> mr. -- >> i. >> mr. snuffer -- mr. jacobs? mr. jacobs votes i. mr. carter? mr. carter votes i. mr. klein? mr. klein votes i. mr. donald? >> mr. donald from florida votes i. >> mr. good? >> good votes yes. >> misses hinson votes i. misses miller? >> misses miller in west virginia votes i. mr. peter? mr. peter? mr. chairman? >> you are un-mute. -- on mute. >> mr. chairman votes no. >> is there anyone who -- any member who wishes to vote or change their vote? >> can you hear me now? peter's votes no. >> mr. peters votes no. >> are there any other members wishing to vote or wishing to change their vote? >> mr. chairman, on that vote, the eyes are 16, the nose or 21. -- ;i's are 16, the no's are 21. >> i want to thank membe

miss plaskett? >> yes. >> you're recognized to inquire for five minutes. >> yes, thank you. thank you for convening this hearing this morning. i had several questions regarding irs funding and closing the tax gap. one of the questions to mr. mazur. the irs commissioner claimed that the federal tax game nowadays was close to $1 trillion, or about $560 billion more than the latest irs estimate. which covered a period from 2011 to 2013. his statement has triggered a mini debate over the actual size of the game. do you think the commissioner is correct in this estimate? if so, why do you think the game grew by almost $600 billion in seven years? >> thank you for the question about the tax gap. one of my previous jobs when i worked at the irs was actually overseeing the estimates of the tax gap that the irs did. and the folks who worked this came up with an estimate for the 2011 -- $441 billion. obviously, that would grow over time and in my testimony, there is a statement that talks about, if it grew with the size of the economy, it would be around 580 billion for 2019. commissi

miss plaskett. are you on the zoom? >> yes. >> you are recognized to inquire for five minutes. s. >>thank you so much mister chairman, and thank you for convening this hearing, this morning. i had several questions regarding iris funding and closing the tax gap. one of the questions i have to mr., mazur 560 billion more than the irs estimate. what's covered a period from 20 -- 2011, to 2013. his statement is triggered many debate over the actual size of the gap. do you think the commissioner is correct in his estimate, and if so, why do you think the gap grew by almost 600 billion and seven years? >> thank you for the question about the tax. gap on one of my previous stops, when i worked for the irs, was actually overseeing the estimates of the tax gap. at the irs. and the folks who worked on this in the research came up with an estimate for 2011 of 441 billion dollars. that would grow overtime. my testimony, there is a statement that talks about if it grew with the size of the economy, it would be around 580 billion dollars for 2019. commissioner rhetoric has been saying that the