[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 7, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H2-H6]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
The CLERK. Pursuant to law and to precedent, the next order of
business is the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives
for the 108th Congress.
Nominations are now in order.
The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce).
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Clerk, for 4 years we have been blessed to
have an individual of fairness, honesty, and common sense lead us
without regard to rank or party. During even the most difficult of
times, this common man with an uncommon conviction to do what is right
has risen to the task and served as the Speaker for the whole House of
Representatives.
Therefore, Mr. Clerk, as chairman of the House Republican Conference,
I am directed by the unanimous vote of that conference, and am very
honored to present for election to the Office of the Speaker of the
House of Representatives of the 108th Congress of the
[[Page H3]]
United States of America, the name of the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert,
a representative-elect from the State of Illinois.
The CLERK. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey
(Mr. Menendez).
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Clerk, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I am
directed by the unanimous vote of that caucus to present for election
to the Office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the
108th Congress an incredibly talented Member of the Democratic Caucus
and, for the first time in history, the name of a woman, the name of
the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a representative-elect from the State of
California.
The CLERK. The Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, a representative-elect
from the State of Illinois, and the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a
representative-elect from the State of California, have been placed in
nomination.
Are there further nominations?
There being no further nominations, the Clerk will appoint tellers.
The Clerk appoints the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Ney), the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Waters), the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs.
Johnson), and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Rodriguez).
The tellers will come forward and take their seats at the desk in
front of the Speaker's rostrum.
The roll will now be called, and those responding to their names will
indicate by surname the nominee of their choice.
The reading clerk will now call the roll.
The tellers having taken their places, the House proceeded to vote
for the Speaker.
The following is the result of the vote:
[Roll No. 2]
HASTERT--228
Aderholt
Akin
Bachus
Baker
Ballenger
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Beauprez
Bereuter
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Bradley (NH)
Brady (TX)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burns
Burr
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Cannon
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Chocola
Coble
Cole
Collins
Combest
Cox
Crane
Crenshaw
Cubin
Culberson
Cunningham
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeLay
DeMint
Diaz-Balart, Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, Mario
Doolittle
Dreier
Duncan
Dunn
Ehlers
Emerson
English
Everett
Feeney
Ferguson
Flake
Fletcher
Foley
Forbes
Fossella
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrey
Goode
Goodlatte
Goss
Granger
Graves
Green (WI)
Greenwood
Gutknecht
Harris
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hoekstra
Hostettler
Houghton
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Isakson
Issa
Istook
Janklow
Jenkins
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
LaHood
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
LoBiondo
Lucas (OK)
Manzullo
McCotter
McCrery
McHugh
McInnis
McKeon
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy
Musgrave
Myrick
Nethercutt
Ney
Northup
Norwood
Nunes
Nussle
Osborne
Ose
Otter
Oxley
Paul
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Pombo
Porter
Portman
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Quinn
Radanovich
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Saxton
Schrock
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shadegg
Shaw
Shays
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Smith (MI)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Tauzin
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Toomey
Turner (OH)
Upton
Vitter
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
PELOSI--201
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Alexander
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Ballance
Becerra
Bell
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (OH)
Brown, Corrine
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Cardoza
Carson (IN)
Carson (OK)
Case
Clay
Clyburn
Conyers
Cooper
Costello
Cramer
Crowley
Cummings
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Deutsch
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Dooley (CA)
Doyle
Edwards
Emanuel
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Ford
Frank (MA)
Frost
Gephardt
Gonzalez
Gordon
Green (TX)
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Hill
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Hoeffel
Holden
Holt
Honda
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
John
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kilpatrick
Kind
Kleczka
Kucinich
Lampson
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lofgren
Lowey
Lynch
Majette
Maloney
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
Matsui
McCarthy (MO)
McCarthy (NY)
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Menendez
Michaud
Millender-McDonald
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore
Moran (VA)
Murtha
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal (MA)
Oberstar
Obey
Olver
Ortiz
Owens
Pallone
Pascrell
Pastor
Payne
Pelosi
Peterson (MN)
Pomeroy
Price (NC)
Rahall
Rangel
Reyes
Rodriguez
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sabo
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sanders
Sandlin
Schakowsky
Schiff
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sherman
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Spratt
Stark
Strickland
Stupak
Tanner
Tauscher
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Towns
Turner (TX)
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Wexler
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
MURTHA--1
Taylor (MS)
PRESENT--4
Hall
Hastert
Lucas (KY)
Stenholm
NOT VOTING--1
Hooley
{time} 1330
The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number
of votes cast is 434, of which the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert of the
State of Illinois has received 228, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of the
State of California has received 201, the Honorable John Murtha of the
State of Pennsylvania has received 1 vote, with 4 recorded as
``present.''
Therefore, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert of the State of Illinois
is duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 108th
Congress, having received the majority of the votes cast.
The Clerk appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair: The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi), the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. DeLay), the gentleman from Missouri (Mr.
Blunt), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the gentlewoman from
Ohio (Ms. Pryce), the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez), the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Crane), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Hyde), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Evans), the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Costello),
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez), the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Manzullo), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Rush), the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Weller), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Jackson), the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus), the
gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Biggert), the gentlewoman from Illinois
(Ms. Schakowsky), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Johnson), the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Kirk), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Emanuel).
The committee will retire from the Chamber to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair.
The Sergeant at Arms announced the Speaker-elect of the House of
Representatives of the 108th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by
the Committee of escort.
{time} 1345
Ms. PELOSI. First, congratulations to each and every Member of this
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House on your swearing-in to the 108th Congress which is about to
occur. A special congratulations and welcome to the freshmen to the
Capitol and certainly to their families and friends. Let us all welcome
our freshmen Members.
Let me also thank my Democratic colleagues. I am humbled by the honor
they have bestowed upon me to become the House Democratic leader. I
know that I speak for all of us when I express profound gratitude to
our esteemed colleague, the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Gephardt). We
thank the gentleman for his unwavering service to this institution and
to our country. It is a great honor to follow in his footsteps.
And to my family, my dear husband, Paul, our five children, and our
five grandchildren, and to my D'Alesandro family, I thank them very
much for the love, support, encouragement, and joy that they have given
me.
Because of you, and the people of San Francisco, whom I am honored to
serve, I had the unprecedented privilege today to have my name placed
in nomination as the first woman ever to do so in the history of the
House of Representatives.
I am grateful to my colleagues for the confidence and proud of my
party for breaking down another barrier and leading America closer to
the ideal of equality that is both our heritage and our hope.
We serve in the people's House; and today, I want to pay tribute to
the American people. It is their greatness, their fair-mindedness,
their commitment to family, their willingness to hope and dream that
sustain our country.
I especially wish to acknowledge the men and women in uniform whose
courage keeps our country free and safe and makes it possible for us to
strive for peace on Earth and goodwill toward mankind.
For more than 214 years, the American people have issued a most
awesome challenge to those of us in Congress. Debate, the American
people tell us when they send us here, debate the great issues of our
Nation. Decide matters of war and peace. Fashion laws and policies that
will make our economy sound, our institutions fair, our society just,
our environment protected, our people educated and healthy, our
religions and beliefs free from constraint, and our homeland secure
from terror.
Debate policies, the American people tell us, which will ensure peace
and justice throughout the world, comfort the afflicted, give voice to
the oppressed, and make the future brighter for our children.
Today I speak as the leader of the minority in a closely divided
House of Representatives. We are on different sides of the aisle, but
we have shared oath and a greater obligation to serve our country
together, both to find common ground wherever we can and to stand our
ground wherever we must to be true to the people we represent.
My colleagues, I commit to all of you and to the American people that
our party will always stand for the principles in which we believe, for
I believe those principles represent the mainstream beliefs of our
Nation: fairness, opportunity, patriotism, community, equal rights and
a strong America, safe and prosperous at home, and committed abroad to
a more secure and just world, free from the fear of terrorism.
So in that spirit, I ask the majority in this House and the
administration to join us in a new spirit to get our economy moving
again in a way that helps working families. I ask that you join us in
creating jobs and providing access to quality health care for America's
families, including a prescription drug coverage for our seniors.
I ask that, after having passed the Leave No Child Behind Act, we act
now to pledge to put our children first and fully fund their education.
Finally and fundamentally, on the great and fateful issues we have
all faced as Americans, especially since September 11, let me pledge
for my party our absolute commitment to our national security, to
winning the battle against terrorism and countering the threat of
weapons of mass destruction.
At times, we will have to debate on how best to provide for the
common defense. That debate is not only right and necessary, it is at
the heart of our democracy. But let there be no doubt, in our
commitment to the strength and safety of America, there are no
Democrats, there are no Republicans. Together, as Americans, we must
and will prevail.
We have great and grave issues to decide, as fateful as any faced by
any of the 107 Congresses before us. So let us reach across party lines
as we stand for principle, and let this be our own test, to advance and
defend what is best for America.
Now it is my privilege to present the Speaker of the House with my
hardiest congratulations. Mr. Speaker, I hope in the next Congress our
roles will be reversed, and you will have this wonderful privilege of
presenting the gavel.
In introducing our Speaker, let me first pay tribute to his skill,
his decency and his integrity. We all hold the title of ``honorable''
by virtue of the office we hold; Dennis Hastert holds the title of
``honorable'' by virtue of his character. He is a man of honor.
It is my privilege, colleagues, to present the Speaker of the House
for the 108th Congress, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hastert).
The SPEAKER. I want to thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi) for her gracious remarks, and I want to congratulate her for
her historic achievement. Nancy Pelosi is the first woman in our
Nation's history to be nominated to be Speaker of the House of
Representatives. Now that this glass ceiling has been broken, I trust
she will not be the last.
Nancy Pelosi is not the only woman to make history today. The
gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce) today becomes the first woman to
chair the House Republican Conference. I want to congratulate her as
well.
I think it is altogether appropriate to note the history these two
outstanding representatives have made today. We are a better country
because of the active political participation of millions of American
women, in this House and in elected positions all across this Nation.
We have 63 women Members in the House today. They represent millions
of American. They fight hard for their constituents, and they serve
with distinction.
Let me say to my good friend, the gentlewoman from California (Ms.
Pelosi), as I welcome her to her new post as minority leader, we are
going to have our fair share of disagreements. That is the nature of
our two-party system. But together we must always find ways to make
America a better and a more secure place to live.
My door will always be open as we work together in this 108th
Congress. To all Members of this House, I say thank you for giving me
the great honor to serve once again as your Speaker.
As we stand here today, we leave behind the work of the historic
107th Congress. Some of the achievements of the 107th Congress were
planned, others were thrust upon us by events. We enacted landmark
education reform, far-reaching election reform, and we have completed
work on the most significant tax relief in a generation.
But we are also confronted by the most brutal, the senseless, and
most tragic attack on our citizens in our Nation's history. The events
of September 11, 2001, which we recalled in a historic commemorative
session in New York City last fall, are still very much in our thoughts
and in our prayers.
We ache for those we lost at the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon,
and we give quiet thanks to those brave passengers on United Flight 93
who stopped the terrorists from crashing another plane into Washington,
D.C. We sit in this Chamber knowing that it may very well have been the
target for that ill-fated flight.
Just a few steps from here, on the central steps of this Capitol
building, we stood together on September 11, Republicans and Democrats.
We stood shoulder to shoulder representing one Nation, under God,
indivisible, and pledged to fight those who would threaten our freedom.
{time} 1400
In this room, just a few days later, our President called us to
action. And act we did to give the President the tools he needed to
fight those who engage in terrorism and those who harbor them.
Friends, our fellow Americans know that we are still engaged in that
struggle today. Like generations before,
[[Page H5]]
they know that freedom comes with a price. As we begin this new
Congress, I want to say to the American people, we will keep that
commitment we made on the steps of this Capitol on September 11, 2001.
This Congress will do everything in its power to provide for the
security of the American people. We are determined that it shall never
happen here again.
The Members of this House who are returning can be proud of the
legislation we passed to create a Department of Homeland Security, the
most significant restructuring of the Federal Government in the last 50
years. It will help make this Nation more secure.
But the 108th Congress must build on the work of the last Congress.
Having given birth to this new department, we must now nurture it and,
with the leadership of our President, guide it to successful maturity.
And as we build on the achievements of the 107th Congress, we must not
forget the legacy of three leaders, two who decided to make the 107th
Congress their last, and another who chose to step down from his
leadership post as he considers other opportunities for public service.
Dick Armey and Dick Gephardt differed in many ways. The former
majority leader and the former minority leader were often at odds on
tax policy, debated vigorously on social policy, and presented
competing visions for America. But they both loved this House, and they
both loved the St. Louis Rams. Their leadership, along with that of
J.C. Watts, will be missed in this House, and I wish them the best in
their new endeavors.
As we start the 108th Congress, we welcome 54 new Members of the
House. I have had a chance to meet almost all of them, and I am
impressed by their experience, by their expertise and by their energy.
The other body also welcomes 10 new Senators, including several of our
former colleagues.
As I begin my third term as Speaker of the House, and ninth term as a
Member of Congress representing the voters of the 14th District of
Illinois, I want to thank my constituents for honoring me with their
trust. My district stretches from the far suburbs of Chicago, through
the Fox River Valley, to the great Mississippi River. It includes
suburbs, small towns and flowing fields of corn and soybeans. It is the
heartland of America. I am particularly proud that it includes Dixon,
Illinois, the boyhood home of one of the giants of the 20th century,
President Ronald Reagan.
As you all know, I go home as often as possible, because it is there
that I get a dose of reality. It is usually my wife Jean who provides
that dose of reality. Thank you, Jean, for all of your love, your
support and your patience.
I believe that to be a good Speaker of the House, you also must be a
good listener. I pledge to you that I will continue to open my door to
listen to your concerns and to do my best to do the will of this House.
And as we start the 108th Congress, we must all begin by listening to
America, to the men and women who sent us here.
What is it that concerns our citizens? First and foremost, they want
us to make this Nation more secure. Terrorists threaten our American
homeland. This Capitol building and the buildings where our fellow
Americans work and live and worship are all on the front lines of this
new war. Now that we have a Department of Homeland Security, we in the
Congress have a duty to make sure it works as it was designed to work.
It must protect our citizens without invading their privacy
unnecessarily. It must make our government more effective in fighting
terrorism without making our government too big. And it must do its
work efficiently, without compromising workers' rights.
Later on today, we will vote to create a Select Committee on Homeland
Security. Members of this select committee will oversee the creation of
the Department of Homeland Security to make certain that the executive
branch is carrying out the will of the Congress. This select committee
will be our eyes and our ears as this critical department is organized.
The standing committees of the House will maintain their jurisdictions
and will still have authorization and oversight responsibilities. This
House needs to adapt to the largest reorganization of our executive
branch in 50 years, and this select committee will help us make this
transition.
As we protect our citizens, we must also support our Armed Forces as
they fight the terrorists and the terrorist states that protect them.
Giving our Armed Forces and intelligence services the resources they
need to get the job done will be a top priority of this House.
As we work to make American families more secure, we also need to
improve our Nation's economy. Without a sound economy that creates
jobs, no family really feels secure. In too many pockets of our Nation,
the economy stumbles along. This week, this House, as we did in the
waning hours of the 107th Congress, will address an immediate need by
passing an extension of unemployment benefits.
But we all know that unemployment benefits are no substitute for a
permanent job. We must ask ourselves, what can we do to improve our
economic growth and create jobs? First, we can lower the tax burden on
small businesses so that they can hire more workers. Eighty percent of
all the jobs in my district, and I suspect many of yours, are created
by small and medium-sized businesses. Let us do something to help the
job creators.
Second, we can increase export opportunities with the rest of the
world. Last year we passed trade promotion authority. This year we need
to promote more trade and, yes, fair trade.
Third, we can cut the cost of government, of regulations, and of
litigation, which too often strangles business creation and puts an
undue burden on our consumers.
Fourth, we can make the President's tax cuts permanent. What sense
does it make to phase out the unfair death tax over 8 years only to
have it come back to life in year 9? And we have to look at longer term
reform of our Tax Code. Our Tax Code should help us compete on the
world stage. But does it help or actually hurt job creation? Would it
not make sense to make our Tax Code simpler, smarter and less
burdensome?
As we work to make the economy stronger, we must also work to make
our health care system better. We face a health care crisis in this
country. Forty-four million Americans are uninsured. Prescription drug
costs are too high. Health care costs continue to skyrocket. We need to
address all of these issues, and we need to do it quickly. No senior
citizen should be forced to choose between putting food on the table or
purchasing lifesaving prescription drugs. No small business mom and pop
operation should have to risk going without health insurance for their
children because the cost is too high. No baby boomer should be forced
to face bankruptcy just because she gets sick. Our health care system
is the best in the world. But it could be even better and more
accessible to everyone. We have the resources, we have the talent, and
we have the know-how. Now let us have the right laws to allow for an
even better system.
Finally, last year we passed landmark education reform. The Leave No
Child Behind Act was a good start to making our public schools the best
in the world. But we still have much work to do. I taught at a public
high school for 16 years. My wife taught public grade school for over
30 years. I know how tough, yet how rewarding teaching can be. There is
no more noble profession than being a teacher. There is no better
investment in the future of our Nation than education. Yet far too
often our schools are not as good as they ought to be. Let us work
together, as Republicans and Democrats, to improve our schools and
support our teachers.
On this historic day, my mind turns to our most sacred political
document, our Constitution. It is here that we, the Congress of the
United States, are charged with a simple task: establish justice,
ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote
the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves
and our posterity. Never has that mission seemed so important and never
has it seemed to be more threatened.
My colleagues, we have a sacred duty to perform. As the elected
representatives of the American people, we must, along with our
President, shoulder a great burden of responsibility. Today, we are
jubilant in our celebration, and rightfully so. Enjoy this day with
your family and your friends. But come back tomorrow with your sleeves
rolled up,
[[Page H6]]
because the task ahead is great and leadership is hard, steady work.
You will be called upon to make many decisions over the next 2 years.
Many will impact the economic well-being of your fellow Americans. Some
may cause you to send our youth into harm's way. There is no textbook
for how to do your job. Each of you must find your own way. Start by
doing your job to the best of your ability. Represent your constituents
with the noblest of motives. And always be true to the democratic
values of this great institution. Let us be respectful of those with
whom we disagree and make an effort to find the common ground. Let us
keep before us our common goal, to make this Nation safer and more
secure for all Americans and a better place to pass on to our children
and our grandchildren when our work here is done.
As we begin this new 108th Congress, let us be mindful of our Creator
and of His plans for this great country. May God bless this House of
Representatives.
{time} 1415
I recognize my good friend and colleague, the dean of the House of
Representatives, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell); and he will
administer the oath of the office of the Speaker.
Mr. DINGELL then administered the oath of office to Mr. Hastert of
Illinois, as follows:
Do you solemnly swear that you will support and defend the
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and
domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;
that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or
purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the
duties of the office upon which you are about to enter. So help you
God.
Mr. DINGELL. Congratulations.
(Applause, the Members rising.)
____________________