[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

[[Page H4]]

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.)

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