[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 4, 2005)]
[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 109th Congress.
Nominations are now in order.
The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Pryce).
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio. Mr. Clerk, for the past 6 years, this House has
been led by a man with great strength, passion and a sense of fairness.
With a steady hand and quiet conviction, he has helped to guide this
body and this Nation through periods of both trial and triumph.
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 for the 109th Congress of the United States of
America the name of the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert, a Representative-
elect from the State of Illinois.
The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Menendez).
Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Clerk, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I am
directed by a unanimous vote of that caucus to present for election to
the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 109th
Congress a lady of great distinction, a lady of integrity, a fighter
for America's children and families and a leader not only of House
Democrats but a leader for our Nation and this Congress, 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 gentleman
[[Page H3]]
from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Mrs.
Johnson), and the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur).
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--226
Aderholt
Akin
Alexander
Bachus
Baker
Barrett (SC)
Bartlett (MD)
Barton (TX)
Bass
Beauprez
Biggert
Bilirakis
Bishop (UT)
Blackburn
Blunt
Boehlert
Boehner
Bonilla
Bonner
Bono
Boozman
Boustany
Bradley (NH)
Brady (TX)
Brown (SC)
Brown-Waite, Ginny
Burgess
Burton (IN)
Buyer
Calvert
Camp
Cantor
Capito
Carter
Castle
Chabot
Chocola
Coble
Cole (OK)
Conaway
Crenshaw
Cubin
Culberson
Cunningham
Davis (KY)
Davis, Jo Ann
Davis, Tom
Deal (GA)
DeLay
Dent
Diaz-Balart, Lincoln
Diaz-Balart, Mario
Doolittle
Drake
Dreier
Duncan
Ehlers
Emerson
English (PA)
Everett
Feeney
Ferguson
Fitzpatrick (PA)
Flake
Foley
Forbes
Fortenberry
Fossella
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Gallegly
Garrett (NJ)
Gerlach
Gibbons
Gilchrest
Gillmor
Gingrey
Gohmert
Goode
Goodlatte
Granger
Graves
Green (WI)
Gutknecht
Hall
Harris
Hart
Hastings (WA)
Hayes
Hayworth
Hefley
Hensarling
Herger
Hobson
Hoekstra
Hostettler
Hulshof
Hunter
Hyde
Inglis (SC)
Issa
Istook
Jenkins
Jindal
Johnson (CT)
Johnson (IL)
Johnson, Sam
Jones (NC)
Keller
Kelly
Kennedy (MN)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kingston
Kirk
Kline
Knollenberg
Kolbe
Kuhl (NY)
LaHood
Latham
LaTourette
Leach
Lewis (CA)
Lewis (KY)
Linder
LoBiondo
Lucas
Lungren, Daniel
Mack
Manzullo
Marchant
McCaul (TX)
McCotter
McCrery
McHenry
McHugh
McKeon
McMorris
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Miller, Gary
Moran (KS)
Murphy
Musgrave
Myrick
Neugebauer
Ney
Nunes
Nussle
Osborne
Otter
Oxley
Paul
Pearce
Pence
Peterson (PA)
Petri
Pickering
Pitts
Platts
Poe
Pombo
Porter
Portman
Price (GA)
Pryce (OH)
Putnam
Radanovich
Ramstad
Regula
Rehberg
Reichert
Renzi
Reynolds
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rogers (MI)
Rohrabacher
Ros-Lehtinen
Royce
Ryan (WI)
Ryun (KS)
Saxton
Schwarz (MI)
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shaw
Shays
Sherwood
Shimkus
Shuster
Simmons
Simpson
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Sodrel
Souder
Stearns
Sullivan
Sweeney
Tancredo
Taylor (NC)
Terry
Thomas
Thornberry
Tiahrt
Tiberi
Turner
Upton
Walden (OR)
Walsh
Wamp
Weldon (FL)
Weldon (PA)
Weller
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Wicker
Wilson (NM)
Wilson (SC)
Wolf
Young (AK)
Young (FL)
PELOSI--199
Abercrombie
Ackerman
Allen
Andrews
Baca
Baird
Baldwin
Barrow
Bean
Becerra
Berkley
Berman
Berry
Bishop (GA)
Bishop (NY)
Blumenauer
Boren
Boswell
Boucher
Boyd
Brady (PA)
Brown (OH)
Brown, Corrine
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardin
Cardoza
Carnahan
Carson
Case
Chandler
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Conyers
Cooper
Costa
Costello
Cramer
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (AL)
Davis (CA)
Davis (FL)
Davis (IL)
Davis (TN)
DeFazio
DeGette
Delahunt
DeLauro
Dicks
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle
Edwards
Emanuel
Engel
Eshoo
Etheridge
Evans
Farr
Fattah
Filner
Ford
Frank (MA)
Gonzalez
Gordon
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Harman
Hastings (FL)
Herseth
Higgins
Hinchey
Hinojosa
Holden
Holt
Hooley
Hoyer
Inslee
Israel
Jackson (IL)
Jackson-Lee (TX)
Jefferson
Johnson, E. B.
Jones (OH)
Kanjorski
Kaptur
Kennedy (RI)
Kildee
Kilpatrick (MI)
Kind
Kucinich
Langevin
Lantos
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lee
Levin
Lewis (GA)
Lipinski
Lofgren, Zoe
Lowey
Lynch
Maloney
Markey
Marshall
Matheson
McCarthy
McCollum (MN)
McDermott
McGovern
McIntyre
McKinney
McNulty
Meehan
Meek (FL)
Meeks (NY)
Melancon
Menendez
Michaud
Millender-McDonald
Miller (NC)
Miller, George
Mollohan
Moore (KS)
Moore (WI)
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
Ross
Rothman
Roybal-Allard
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sabo
Salazar
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sanders
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schwartz (PA)
Scott (GA)
Scott (VA)
Serrano
Sherman
Skelton
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Snyder
Solis
Spratt
Stark
Strickland
Stupak
Tanner
Tauscher
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tierney
Towns
Udall (CO)
Udall (NM)
Van Hollen
Velazquez
Visclosky
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson
Watt
Waxman
Weiner
Wexler
Woolsey
Wu
Wynn
MURTHA--1
Taylor (MS)
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--1
Hastert
NOT VOTING--7
Cannon
Cox
Gutierrez
Honda
Northup
Norwood
Shadegg
Stated for Mr. Hastert:
Mrs. NORTHUP, Mr. Clerk, on rollcall No. 2 I missed the vote due to
airline problems. Had I been present, I would have voted for the
Honorable J. Dennis Hastert for Speaker of the House.
Mr. COX. Mr. Clerk on rollcall No. 2 I was in consultation with the
leadership staff outside the chamber and was therefore not present when
my name was called. Had I been present I would have voted for J. Dennis
Hastert of Illinois as Speaker of the House.
{time} 1337
The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total of
number of votes cast is 427, of which the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert
of the State of Illinois has received 226, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi
of the State of California has received 199, and the Honorable John
Murtha of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has received 1 vote, with 1
recorded as ``present.''
=========================== NOTE ===========================
January 4, 2005--On Page H 3 under ELECTION OF SPEAKER the
following appeared: State of Pennsylvania.
The online version should be corrected to read: Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania.
========================= END NOTE =========================
Therefore, the Honorable J. Dennis Hastert of the State of Illinois
is duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 109th
Congress, having received a 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. Hyde); the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Evans); 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 gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Bean); and the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).
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 109th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by
the Committee of Escort.
Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, my colleagues, first may I thank my
Democratic colleagues. What an honor it is to have my name placed in
nomination as your leader to be Speaker of the House as the first woman
and as the first Italian-American. I was honored by the kind remarks of
the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Menendez).
It is a privilege, as the gentleman from New Jersey knows and as the
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) knows for us to represent this
magnificently diverse caucus. Thank you for the honor of being your
leader. It is a privilege to represent one of the greatest forces, in
my view, for idealism, integrity and innovation in our country.
[[Page H4]]
My thanks to the members of the Democratic Caucus.
I want to thank and acknowledge my husband, Paul. Thank you, Paul. In
acknowledging Paul, I want to acknowledge all of the spouses who are
here today for the contributions they make. I know Members all share my
view when I say our husbands and wives, our spouses, and in my case my
five children and five grandchildren, represented by Ryan and Madelaine
here today, are the source of our strength and inspiration. Our
children and grandchildren are the future. Many children are here
today. We want them to know that we know and think it is our
responsibility to make the future better for them.
To my constituents, I am grateful for the privilege of representing
them.
I know Members all want to join me and the Speaker in acknowledging
our courageous men and women in uniform.
{time} 1345
As we end this holiday season, we know it is their service that makes
it possible for us to strive for peace on earth and good will to
mankind every day of the year.
A special congratulations and welcome to the Capitol to our newest
Members of Congress, to our freshmen Members. You as freshmen are the
fresh recruits. You are here to reinvigorate the Congress with your
fresh ideas, straight from campaigns. We are all straight from
campaigns. Our Founding Fathers planned it so that every 2 years
Congress would be reinvigorated with new membership to bring new ideas
and new energy to the debate. As you take your oath of office today,
you not only enter the Congress, you enter the annals of history. You
are colleagues not only with each other, you are colleagues with all
those who have served before you.
Sadly, this weekend, we lost two of our most pioneering and
courageous colleagues. Shirley Chisholm was the first African-American
woman elected to Congress. Imagine the courage. She said of her service
that it demonstrated the sheer will and refusal to accept the status
quo. We must make that legacy part of ours. When Shirley Chisholm came
to Congress as the first African-American woman, it was not only a
breakthrough for African Americans, it was not only a breakthrough for
women, it was a breakthrough for America.
And we mourn the passing of someone who was a dear friend to so many
of us here. Bob Matsui would have been sworn in today. Bob was the
living combination of intellect and passion, someone who understood the
complexities, for example, of the Social Security system but never
forgot what it meant simply to the lives of America's seniors.
President Bush rightly called Bob a dedicated public servant and a good
and decent man who served with distinction and integrity. Thank you,
President Bush, for that acknowledgment.
As a small child, Bob Matsui was in a Japanese internment camp. He
was a third-generation American but nonetheless he was in an internment
camp. But that never dampened his spirit about America or his family's
spirit. He went on in his words and his deeds with a commitment to
guide us to the better America that was his dream. Let that be our
legacy as well.
And we cannot gather here today without talking about the unspeakable
devastation the world has witnessed in South Asia. It presents a
special challenge to us, not only for the millions of people who are
struggling to recover and rebuild but for all of us who are called by
our faith and by our common humanity to help those in need. When the
victims of disasters in Asia see our soldiers bringing food and
supplies, they see the best of America, an America that is
compassionate. We need to work even harder, not only to present that
America to the world but also to create that America here at home by
staying true to our core American values. We do that by widening the
circle of prosperity, because it is unacceptable that one in five
children in America live in poverty.
Our sense of fairness demands that we expand access to health care
because health care is a right, not a privilege. We must promote
opportunity with a vibrant public education system and by making
college education affordable to all Americans. We need to strengthen
community, working to build safe communities free of crime and drugs
and with a clean and healthy environment. And we must do this in a
fiscally sound way by promoting accountability, by restoring fiscal
discipline and paying as we go.
Above all, we must guarantee our national security with a military
that is second to none, a strong commitment to homeland security, and a
resolve to stop the spread of weapons of mass destruction. How we
respond to times of difficulty is what will define us as leaders and
the ability to draw hope from times of challenge is what defines us as
Americans. Each generation of Americans has made our country stronger
and better for the next. I do not want anyone because we are talking
about losing our colleagues and our former colleagues and the
devastation in South Asia, to have any of that diminish the cause for
celebration here today for our new Members, their families, their
friends, indeed for all of us. The lives of Shirley Chisholm and Bob
Matsui should be cause for celebration and they give us hope and proof
that each one of us can make a difference.
A better America is our inheritance. I believe that for all of us
serving in the 109th Congress, it can also be our legacy. Though we are
divided by party and this aisle, we are joined by our common oath to
protect and defend the Constitution and to form a more perfect union.
To our freshmen, again welcome to Congress. On this day of
celebration, I join the Speaker and all of our colleagues in
congratulating you and your families. Again I will say that our
Founding Fathers made special provision for this House to be constantly
reinvigorated and every person here must be elected. We cannot let
again the sadness in the past weeks diminish this cause for
celebration.
The lives of Shirley and Bob offer us hope and proof, as I said. The
tragedy in South Asia and its ramifications raises the expectations for
leadership. How we respond to times of difficulty will define us.
When I was a young girl, a college student here in Washington, D.C.,
I had the privilege of hearing President Kennedy's inaugural address.
In his inaugural address, he ended his remarks in the following way,
and I think it was appropriate then and it is appropriate now. He said,
``With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final
judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking
His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth, God's work
must truly be our own.''
Again I have the privilege to present the gavel, this is getting
tiresome, Mr. Speaker. And it is not about you. Two years ago when I
had the privilege of presenting the gavel, I said of the Speaker that
all of us are called honorable because of the title we hold as Members
of Congress. But Dennis Hastert is honorable because he is a man of
great character and dignity and he deserves the title. It is now my
privilege to present the gavel to a man, a gentleman of character,
integrity and skill who brings the values of heartland America to this
highest position in the Congress of the United States, and I speak on
behalf of all of our House Democrats, Mr. Speaker, in saying we look
forward to working with you in the days ahead to create a better
America, the gentleman from Illinois, the Speaker of the House, Dennis
Hastert.
Mr. HASTERT. Thank you, Nancy, for those gracious remarks. You have
been an able leader for the Democratic Caucus in this House and you
have helped lead this Congress with honor and distinction. We have
disagreed on policy matters in the past, and I suspect we will disagree
again in the future, but we both love this House of Representatives and
the great democratic process of representative government.
Nancy, we have some serious issues to confront in this new Congress
and I look forward to a vigorous debate in the months ahead, for it is
through debate that we arrive at the policy decisions that will keep
this Nation safe and make it stronger. This House is where we fight the
battle of ideas and at the end of the day we make the laws that govern
this Nation, and so it is a great honor to serve in this institution.
It is a special honor to sit in this chair.
[[Page H5]]
I thank each of you for allowing me once again to serve as your
Speaker.
The new year confronted us with two sad tragedies. First came the
images from the tsunami that ravaged countries bordering the Indian
Ocean. Our deepest condolences go to all those who lost loved ones in
this terrible event. Just as former Presidents Clinton and Bush will
join together to coordinate private relief efforts here in the United
States, we in the Congress will work together on a bipartisan basis to
get the necessary relief to those in need.
Second, we lost one of our own on New Year's Day. I too want to pay
tribute to our fallen colleague, Bob Matsui. Bob holds a special place
in the hearts of Members on both sides of the aisle. He was a man of
strong principle but a kind and gentle spirit. He was a proud Democrat,
but he also knew how to reach across the aisle when the interests of
his country demanded it. He will be greatly missed in this House and we
are a better House of Representatives because he served here.
Now let me welcome our new Members. We have 38 new Members, three of
whom are returning after previous service here. Twenty-two of the new
Members served in the State legislatures. Ten served in local
government. For only the second time in House history, this class
includes a Member whose ancestry is from the world's largest democracy,
the nation of India. This is a motivated and talented group whom I
believe will make a positive impact on the Congress for years to come.
I will not spend a great deal of time in these remarks to give you
new Members a lot of advice, but I will say this. I hope that you will
take the time to get to know your colleagues, to find mentors in this
great body. There is a lot of wisdom and experience in this place. Even
as each of you bring a new and fresh perspective to this place, there
is also much to be learned from the past.
Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Europe to participate
in the ceremonies commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Battle of
the Bulge, to see our young soldiers as we visited the hospitals and
bases across Europe and also visit with old soldiers who had served and
given their all 60 years ago to help keep this country free. It was a
great experience.
{time} 1400
Our former colleague and Republican leader, Bob Michel who was
wounded in the Battle of the Bulge, accompanied me along with the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), the dean of this House, another
distinguished veteran, who will soon celebrate his 50th year in this
body. And to you incoming Members, I must tell you I have learned much
from these great men. In fact, I continue to learn from them. So, new
Members, seek out the Henry Hydes and the Charlie Rangels and the Bill
Youngs and the John Lewises and the many talented people who serve
here. Get to know them and follow in their footsteps of distinguished
service.
As we open the doors to the 109th Congress, we close the doors of the
108th Congress. Those returning Members can look with pride at the
accomplishments of the last Congress: the historic reform of the
Medicare system that includes a prescription drug package for our
seniors, health savings accounts that give American consumers more
power over their health care dollars, creation of the National
Intelligence Director and a complete overhaul of our intelligence
capabilities, tax relief that kept us out of a deep recession and will
propel us into better economic growth in the future.
But there is still much work to do.
``Make no little plan,'' said Daniel Burnham, the architect who
helped design the great city of Chicago. ``For they have no magic to
stir men's blood.''
In this Congress, big plans will still stir men's blood. The 109th
Congress will be the Reform Congress. We have big challenges that face
this country, and we need big ideas to meet those challenges. Today we
must seize the initiative. Today we must start anew the process of
reforming our government. Security and prosperity only come with hard
work and responsible government. Today let us get to that hard work.
First and foremost, we must make this country safe from those who
would do us great harm. Every day that I look out the window of my
office towards the Pentagon building, I am reminded of that monstrous
attack on September 11, 2001, that killed 3,000 of our fellow citizens.
And each day this Congress has taken important steps to make this
country safer from the terrorists who seek to attack us again.
In the 107th Congress, we created the Department of Homeland Security
and the U.S. PATRIOT Act and the Visa and Border Security Act. In the
108th Congress, we created the Director of National Intelligence. And
in this 109th Congress we have to continue making progress. We need to
strengthen our borders, reform our asylum laws, and improve the
national standards for driver's licenses.
The terrorists who attacked us did so by exploiting gaps in our
border security system, by abusing our immigration laws, and by abusing
the everyday freedoms that every American takes for granted, yet holds
so dear to their hearts. We must fill those gaps.
As the Congress works to reform the executive branch, we must also
work to reform our congressional oversight functions. In the 108th
Congress, we created a Select Committee on Homeland Security. Today in
the rules of the House that we will adopt shortly, I have proposed that
we make the Select Committee on Homeland Security a permanent standing
committee. Better oversight of the Department of Homeland Security will
lead to better security for all Americans. I urge my colleagues on both
sides of the aisle to support this effort.
As we secure the homeland, we must do everything we can to support
our troops around the world who are on the front lines fighting the war
on terror. I am troubled by accounts that our soldiers do not have the
equipment and the armor to protect themselves against roadside bombs in
Iraq. This cannot stand. This Congress, on a bipartisan basis, will
continue to provide the resources needed to take care of our fighting
men and women. Protecting our homeland and winning the war on terror
are critical components of making this country more secure.
But long-term security means more than fighting the war on terror. It
also means taking important steps to get our fiscal house in order. The
President has laid out a bold reform agenda. We need to move
aggressively on his reform agenda to protect our Nation from a looming
fiscal crisis. This Congress and its predecessors have a covenant with
older Americans. We have repeatedly promised to keep Social Security
strong, and so it is there to protect today's seniors and is available
to our children and our grandchildren. But to keep it safe, we need to
make some important changes. If we wait too long, the consequences of
inaction could be catastrophic.
And let me be clear. We do this without changing the system for those
who receive Social Security benefits now. As we strengthen the Social
Security system, we must also start a national debate on completely
overhauling our Tax Code. In the last Congress, a lot of words were
spoken on this floor about jobs leaving our country, about outsourcing.
This Congress must do everything in its power to protect American jobs,
and the one thing that kills American jobs is our Tax Code. Let me say
that again. Our Tax Code is killing jobs in America. It disadvantages
those who produce here to sell overseas and gives real great advantage
to those who produce overseas to sell their products here. Our Tax Code
is too complicated, it is too unfair, and it punishes job creators. It
costs American taxpayers over $250 billion every year just to fill out
their tax forms and comply with the IRS. America must have a simpler
Tax Code, one that makes sense for all Americans.
As we debate the larger issues of reforming the Tax Code, we should
keep in mind that increasing taxes just as the economy is getting its
footing is simply wrong. This Republican majority will not raise taxes.
We should continue to keep taxes low by making permanent the tax cuts
we passed in the 107th and 108th Congresses. I disagree with the
position of some of my colleagues who believe that we should raise
taxes to cut the deficit. The best way to close the deficit gap is to
keep the economy growing as we control spending. I appreciate the hard
work of
[[Page H6]]
the Committee on Appropriations slowing the growth of discretionary
spending. We need to keep that kind of fiscal discipline in this
Congress.
But we also need to take a look at entitlement spending. We must
apply cost-savings technology to the government to improve efficiency,
to cut down on waste, fraud, and abuse.
And as we look for ways to improve our Nation's economic future, we
can start by finally passing laws to stop lawsuit abuse. Most people
know how abusive lawsuits have driven many doctors, especially OB/GYNs,
out of business. This is just one example of how lawsuit abuse hurts
our citizens, particularly women and children. We have to bring common
sense to our legal process. And, yes, there needs to be accountability
for those who do harm, but abuses must be ended. That is why we must
pass class-action reform this year.
Another impediment to our continued economic prosperity is the
volatile energy market. We passed an energy conference report out of
the House the last Congress, only to see it die in the other body. We
need to finish the job this year.
And, finally, as we prepare our economy for the next 50 years, we
must keep our transportation system on the cutting edge. Our roads,
bridges, and ports not only move people; they also move products. And
we must make at home those products to sell abroad, and we must keep
those institutions viable that move them from the marketplace to the
markets. To keep our products moving, we must finish the work on the
transportation bill early this year.
As we move this aggressive reform agenda, let us ever be mindful of
our responsibilities laid out in the Constitution. The Constitution
begins by describing the legislative branch. Article I, section 1 says
that all legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in the
Congress. The mission of the Congress, as laid out in the Constitution,
is stark: establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, and provide
for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the
blessing of liberty to ourselves and our posterity. One hundred nine
times, newly elected Members of Congress have gathered together to be
sworn in, to pledge a solemn oath to uphold that Constitution. The size
of the delegations have increased, the numbers of constituents have
multiplied, and the demands on the Members seem more complex than ever.
But the basics of doing the job have never really changed. Those
Members who do best in this place are those who never lose sight of
where they came from or whom they represent.
My congressional district lies in the heartland of America. My home
is in the Fox River Valley, not the Potomac River. And I want to thank
my constituents of the 14th District of Illinois for giving me the
opportunity to serve them again. It is indeed an honor and a privilege
to represent these great Americans.
And as I thank my constituents, I must also thank my most important
constituent, my wife, Jean, who, by the way, is the Speaker in our
house.
Jean, thank you for your patience, your guidance, your sense humor,
and your wonderful common sense.
As elected representatives of the people, each of us shoulders a
great burden of responsibility. Our families often bear the brunt of
that burden. And let me thank all of the spouses and the children, many
of whom are here in this Chamber today. We want to thank you for your
sacrifices on behalf of the American people.
And as we begin this historic 109th Congress, let us also give thanks
to our Creator for the blessings that He has bestowed upon us. May God
bless this House and all who serve in it, and may God bless this great
Nation we call America.
{time} 1415
I now recognize the Dean of the House of Representatives, the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Dingell), my good friend and colleague,
who will administer the oath.
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.
(Applause, the Members rising.)
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