ms. plaskett: thank you. it's with great honor that i rise today to anchor this c.b.c. special order hour. for the next 60 minutes, we have a chance to speak directly to the american people on issues of great importance to the congressional black caucus, congress, and the constituents we represent. and all americans. led by our chair, cedric richmond of louisiana, it is our duty, we feel, as the conscience of the congress, to speak to all people in this hour on the issues that we deem are important. that our constituents have told us are important. for this special order hour, we will spend this time to talk about the failure to govern, the first six months under republican control. president trump's first six months have been defined by his often angry and personal tweets, his efforts to denigrate and undercut the multiple investigations into russian influence in the 2016 election, and, most importantly, the stalemated legislative battle to repeal and replace obamacare. president trump has signed proclamatio

ms. plaskett: i ask unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlewoman is recognized. ms. plaskett: federal funding for the maternal infant and home visiting program is set to expire september 30. this program and the virgin islands department of health gives at-risk pregnant women and families necessary information and skills to raise children who are physically, socially, and emotionally healthy and ready to learn. in june, republicans in the house of representatives ways and means committee introduced a bill re-authorizing this program. the legislation, which has yet to receive a hear, included a five-year re-authorization but did not expand funding to meet the growing needs for services. it also included serious modifications to the way the program is run which advocates fear could have harmful unintended consequences. home visiting programs are a critical opportunity to reach at-risk pregnant women and new mothers. the first few years of life are the most rapid period of brain development and home visiting p

ms. plaskett: thank you, mr. speaker. i'm happy to congratulate the virgin islands women's basketball team on winning the gold medal at the 2017 centra basketball championship and finishing the tournament with a 4-1 record. they beat out teams from mexico, central america, and the caribbean. i particularly want to congratulate natalie day, who was named m.v.p. with a tournament double-double average, 18.6 points and 11 rebounds per game. good luck to the virgin islands women team at the fiba women's america cup 2017? argentina. we're rooting for you. i also want to congratulate another virgin islandser, joaquin, who for the last two years has played center for the nba's indiana pacers. i want to thank him for returning home to st. croix repeatedly and hosting a series of youth events and opened a basketball court funded by his foundation for the fred ricks boys and girls club. he and other athletes will coach basketball camps on st. thomas and st. croix this week with the highlight of all star competition on st. croix's e

ms. plaskett: thank you. it is with great pride i speak on behalf of the centennial anniversary of the birth of the hobyorblemervin herbert evans. this celebration of governor evans' 100th birthday is timely and symbolic. he was born in 1917, months after the transfer of the virgin islands from denmark to the united states. when locals had no citizen rights and no mechanism for which they could be -- have their own elected representation. as some of the soil he was educated on st. croix, val deck tore iian of his high school class in saint thomas and in 1944 earned his medical degree from howard college of medicine. returned to st. croix and was eventually commissioner of health of the virgin islands. in 1969 he was appointed governor of the virgin islands by president richard nixon, earning him the distinction of being the territory's last appointed governor, but more importantly the territory's first black native governor. 1971 heback the governor elected by the people of the virgin islands after 1970 law w

ms. plaskett: thank you very much. you, mr. speaker. i want to thank the chairman and ranking member for my ement to including amendment en bloc into the ndaa. amendment that we have is a transitioning the virgin he and guard reserve from overseas housing lowance to basic housing allowance for housing. office that in 2013 the of the undersecretary of defense personnel and readiness eported that a change would be feasible and would not be difficult to allow virgin slands' active guard and reserve members to be part of e basic -- to be part of the basic housing allowance. congress didn't intend an and unfair treatment reserve rd and members. this amendment provides for a disparate treatment of housing allowance. grateful for this support and are thankful our service members will now and their using be treated the same as those in the 50 states and district of columbia. i yield back. the chair: the gentleman from texas. thornberry: i'm pleased to yield a minute and a half to the distinguished gentleman from georgia, mr. heist. the gentlema

ms. jackson lee: let me thank the distinguished gentleman from texas and the co-leader of this hour along with congresswoman plaskett for not only their astute leadership of the hour but certainly their astute leadership of the issue. i'm delighted to join my colleagues, i want to thank the chair they have con gregs -- congressional black caucus, and especially mr. cedric richmond, for making sure that the congressional black caucus is heard on these important issues. i'm going to focus my issues, because this is not a republican or democratic issue, it is an american issue and i to want to personally thank you for your leadership as the main plaintiff of the texas voter i.d. litigation which has been, how should i say it. i want to say earth shattering, but it's been ground breaking in the recognition of the diminishing of rights of people to vote by a draconian voter i.d. law. we know it's been somewhat modified but your astuteness recognizes that even in its modification in the coming elections we should be very wary of the efforts that the state will utilize the voter i.d. law for voter suppression. today i want