[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 1 (Thursday, January 4, 2007)] [House] [Pages H2-H5] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] ELECTION OF SPEAKER The CLERK. Pursuant to law and precedent, the next order of business is the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress. Nominations are now in order. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel). Mr. EMANUEL. Madam Clerk, as a father of three young children, I am particularly thrilled to be a part of this moment, thrilled that a generation of young girls and boys across America are about to witness another historic step in our Nation's march toward equality of opportunity. Nancy Pelosi's goal is a Congress known for its ideas, not its insults; its patriotism, not its partisanship. Madam Clerk, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I am directed by [[Page H3]] the unanimous vote of that caucus to present for election to the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress the name of the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a Member-elect from the State of California. The CLERK. The Clerk now recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam). Mr. PUTNAM. Madam Clerk, I am pleased to put forward the name of a man who represents the best of honesty, integrity, decency, uncanny wisdom and understanding. As chairman of the Republican Conference, I am directed by the unanimous vote of that conference to present for election to the office of Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress the name of the Honorable John A. Boehner from the State of Ohio. The CLERK. The Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a Member-elect from the State of California, and the Honorable John A. Boehner, a Member-elect from the State of Ohio, have been placed in nomination. Are there further nominations? There being no further nominations, the Clerk will appoint tellers. The Clerk appoints the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Millender- McDonald), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur), and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros- Lehtinen). 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] Pelosi--233 Abercrombie Ackerman Allen Altmire Andrews Arcuri Baca Baird Baldwin Barrow Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Boren Boswell Boucher Boyd (FL) Boyda (KS) Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Brown, Corrine Butterfield Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carney Carson Castor Chandler Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Cramer Crowley Cuellar Cummings Davis (AL) Davis (CA) Davis (IL) Davis, Lincoln DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dicks Dingell Doggett Donnelly Doyle Edwards Ellison Ellsworth Emanuel Engel Eshoo Etheridge Farr Fattah Filner Frank (MA) Giffords Gillibrand Gonzalez Gordon Green, Al Green, Gene Grijalva Gutierrez Hall (NY) Hare Harman Hastings (FL) Herseth Higgins Hill Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Holden Holt Honda Hooley Hoyer Inslee Israel Jackson (IL) Jackson-Lee (TX) Jefferson Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Jones (OH) Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick Kind Klein (FL) Kucinich Lampson Langevin Lantos Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lee Levin Lewis (GA) Lipinski Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Lynch Mahoney (FL) Maloney (NY) Markey Marshall Matheson Matsui McCarthy (NY) McCollum (MN) McDermott McGovern McIntyre McNerney McNulty Meehan Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Melancon Michaud Millender-McDonald Miller (NC) Miller, George Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy, Patrick Murtha Nadler Napolitano Neal (MA) Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Pallone Pascrell Pastor Payne Pelosi Perlmutter Peterson (MN) Pomeroy Price (NC) Rahall Rangel Reyes Rodriguez Ross Rothman Roybal-Allard Ruppersberger Rush Ryan (OH) Salazar Sanchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Schakowsky Schiff Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Serrano Sestak Shea-Porter Sherman Shuler Sires Skelton Slaughter Smith (WA) Snyder Solis Space Spratt Stark Stupak Sutton Tanner Tauscher Taylor Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Towns Udall (CO) Udall (NM) Van Hollen Velazquez Visclosky Walz (MN) Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch (VT) Wexler Wilson (OH) Woolsey Wu Wynn Yarmuth Boehner--202 Aderholt Akin Alexander Bachmann Bachus Baker Barrett (SC) Bartlett (MD) Barton (TX) Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehner Bonner Bono Boozman Boustany Brady (TX) Brown (SC) Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp (MI) Campbell (CA) Cannon Cantor Capito Carter Castle Chabot Coble Cole (OK) Conaway Crenshaw Cubin Culberson Davis (KY) Davis, David Davis, Jo Ann Davis, Tom Deal (GA) Dent Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Doolittle Drake Dreier Duncan Ehlers Emerson English (PA) Everett Fallin Feeney Ferguson Flake Forbes Fortenberry Fossella Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gallegly Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Gilchrest Gillmor Gingrey Gohmert Goode Goodlatte Granger Graves Hall (TX) Hastert Hastings (WA) Hayes Heller Hensarling Herger Hobson Hoekstra Hulshof Hunter Inglis (SC) Issa Jindal Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones (NC) Jordan Keller King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kline (MN) Knollenberg Kuhl (NY) LaHood Lamborn Latham LaTourette Lewis (CA) Lewis (KY) Linder LoBiondo Lucas Lungren, Daniel E. Mack Manzullo Marchant McCarthy (CA) McCaul (TX) McCotter McCrery McHenry McHugh McKeon McMorris Rodgers Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Moran (KS) Murphy, Tim Musgrave Myrick Neugebauer Norwood Nunes Paul Pearce Pence Peterson (PA) Petri Pickering Pitts Platts Poe Porter Price (GA) Pryce (OH) Putnam Radanovich Ramstad Regula Rehberg Reichert Renzi Reynolds Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Royce Ryan (WI) Sali Saxton Schmidt Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shays Shimkus Shuster Simpson Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Souder Stearns Sullivan Tancredo Terry Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Turner Upton Walberg Walden (OR) Walsh (NY) Wamp Weldon (FL) Weller Westmoreland Whitfield Wicker Wilson (NM) Wilson (SC) Wolf Young (AK) Young (FL) {time} 1344 The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number of votes cast is 435, of which the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of the State of California has received 233 and the Honorable John A. Boehner of the State of Ohio has received 202. Therefore, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of the State of California is duly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 110th Congress, having received a majority of the votes cast. The Clerk appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker- elect to the chair: The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner), the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Blunt), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Emanuel), the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Putnam), the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson), the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. McCotter), and the members of the California delegation: Mr. Stark, Mr. George Miller, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Lewis, Mr. Dreier, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Berman, Mr. Gallegly, Mr. Herger, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Doolittle, Ms. Waters, Mr. Becerra, Mr. Calvert, Ms. Eshoo, Mr. Filner, Mr. McKeon, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Mr. Royce, Ms. Woolsey, Mr. Farr, Ms. Zoe Lofgren, Mr. Radanovich, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Loretta Sanchez, Mrs. Tauscher, Mrs. Capps, Mrs. Bono, Ms. Lee, Mr. Gary G. Miller, Mrs. Napolitano, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Baca, Ms. Harman, Mrs. Davis, Mr. Honda, Mr. Issa, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Solis, Ms. Watson, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Nunes, Ms. Linda T. Sanchez, Mr. Daniel E. Lungren, Mr. Costa, Ms. Matsui, Mr. Campbell, Mr. Bilbray, Mr. McCarthy, and Mr. McNerney. 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 110th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by the committee of escort. [[Page H4]] {time} 1400 Mr. BOEHNER. Madam Speaker, Leader Hoyer, my distinguished colleagues, welcome to you all. I would particularly like to welcome our new colleagues. It is an honor and a privilege to serve in this great institution, and I would like to thank you in advance for the sacrifices and contributions you will make to this body during your time here. As colleagues, we owe a huge debt to those who have served before us. I would be remiss if I did not mention the enormous contributions of one of my predecessors, Gerald Ford. Former President Ford served in the House over 25 years, including 8 of those years as Republican leader from 1965 to 1973. He served his Michigan constituents and the American people with great distinction not just here in Congress, but as Vice President and as President of the United States. The thoughts and prayers of this House and those of a grateful Nation are with Betty and the Ford family. This is an historic day. In a few moments, I will have the high privilege of handing the gavel of the House of Representatives to a woman for the first time in American history. For more than 200 years, the leaders of our government have been democratically elected, and from their ranks our leaders have always selected a man for the responsibility and honor as serving as Speaker of the House. Always, that is, until today. It is sometimes said the Founding Fathers would not recognize the government that exists here in Washington today. It has grown in size and scope far beyond anything they could ever have imagined, much less endorsed or advocated for our future. But today marks an occasion that I think the Founding Fathers would view approvingly. And my fellow Americans, whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent, today is a cause for celebration. Today also, of course, marks a change in the House majority. Twelve years ago, some of us stood proudly in this Chamber as our former colleague, Dick Gephardt from Missouri, handed the gavel to the Republican Speaker, Newt Gingrich from Georgia. There were some great achievements during those 12 years that followed, and we are fortunate that the man who was the driving force behind many of those achievements will continue to serve with us: The gentleman from Illinois, Denny Hastert. There were some great achievements during those 12 years that followed; there were also some profound disappointments. If there is one lesson that stands out from our party's time in the majority, it is this: A congressional majority is simply a means to an end. The value of the majority lies not in the chance to wield great power but in the chance to use limited power to achieve great things. We refer to the gavel that I am holding as the Speaker's gavel; but like everything else in this Chamber, it really belongs to the American people. It is on loan from the real owners. This is the people's House; this is the people's Congress. Most people in America don't care who controls it. What they want is a government that is limited, honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs; and the moment a majority forgets this lesson, it begins writing itself a ticket to minority status. The 110th Congress will write the next chapter in American history, but the American people will dictate it. Today, the Democrat Party assumes the challenge and opportunity of majority power in the people's House. Republicans will hold the incoming majority accountable for its promises and its actions, but we also want to work with the incoming majority for the good of our Nation that we were all elected to serve. Fundamentally, democracy is a battle of ideas. The battle of ideas, I believe, is healthy and is important for our Nation. But it is also a battle that can take place respectfully. Republicans and Democrats can disagree without being disagreeable to each other. Sometimes what people call partisanship is really a deep disagreement over a means to a shared goal, and we should welcome that conversation, encourage it, enjoy it, and be nice about it. It is now my privilege to present the gavel of the United States House of Representatives to the first woman Speaker in our history, the gentlewoman from California, Nancy Pelosi. Ms. PELOSI. Thank you, Leader Boehner. Thank you, my colleagues. Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speakers. I accept this gavel in the spirit of partnership, not partisanship, and I look forward to working with you, Mr. Boehner, and the Republicans in the Congress for the good of the American people. After giving this gavel away in the last two Congresses, I am glad someone else has the honor today. In this House, we may be different parties, but we serve one country, and our pride and our prayers are united behind our men and women in uniform. They are working together to protect the American people; and in this Congress, we must work together to build a future worthy of their sacrifice. In this hour, we need and pray for the character, courage, and civility of a former Member of this House, President Ford. He healed the country when it needed healing. This is another time, another war, and another trial of American will, imagination, and spirit. Let us honor his memory not just in eulogy, but in dialogue and trust across the aisle. I want to join Leader Boehner in expressing our condolences and our appreciation to Mrs. Ford and to the entire Ford family for their decades of leadership and service to our country. With today's convening of the 110th Congress, we begin anew. I congratulate all Members of Congress on your election. I especially want to congratulate our new Members of Congress. Let's hear it for our new Members. The genius of our Founders was that every 2 years, new Members would bring to this House their spirit of renewal and hope for the American people. This Congress is reinvigorated, new Members, by your optimism and your idealism and your commitment to our country. Let us acknowledge your families whose support have made your leadership possible today. Each of us brings to this Congress our shared values, our commitment to the Constitution, and our personal experience. My path to Congress and to the speakership began in Baltimore where my father was the mayor. I was raised in a large family that was devoutly Catholic, deeply patriotic, very proud of our Italian-American heritage, and staunchly Democratic. My parents taught us that public service was a noble calling, and that we had a responsibility to help those in need. {time} 1415 My parents worked on the side of the angels, and now they are with them. But I am so happy that my brother, Tommy D'Alesandro, who was also a mayor of Baltimore, is here leading the D'Alesandro family from Baltimore today. He is sitting right up there with Tony Bennett. Forty-three years ago, Paul Pelosi and I were married. We raised our five children in San Francisco where Paul was born and raised. I want to thank Paul and our five children, Nancy Corrine, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, Jr., and Alexandra, and our magnificent grandchildren, for their love, for their support, and the confidence they gave me to go from the kitchen to the Congress. And I thank my constituents in San Francisco and to the State of California for the privilege of representing them in Congress. St. Francis of Assisi is our city's patron saint, and his prayer of St. Francis is our city's anthem: Lord, make me a channel of thy peace; where there is darkness may we bring light, where there is hatred may we bring love, and where there is despair, may we bring hope. Hope, that is what America is about. And it is in that spirit that I serve in the Congress of the United States. And today, I thank my colleagues. By electing me Speaker, you have brought us closer to the ideal of equality that is America's heritage and America's hope. This is a historic moment, and I thank the leader for acknowledging it. Thank you, Mr. Boehner. It is a historic moment for the Congress, and it is a historic moment for the women of America. It is a moment for which we have waited for over 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women were not just waiting; [[Page H5]] women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and our granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit. Anything is possible for them. The election of 2006 was a call to change, not merely to change the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country. Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in the war in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end. Shortly, President Bush will address the Nation on the subject of Iraq. It is the responsibility of the President to articulate a new plan for Iraq that makes it clear to the Iraqis that they must defend their own streets and their own security, a plan that promotes stability in the region and a plan that allows us to responsibly redeploy our troops. Let us work together to be the Congress that rebuilds our military to meet the national security challenges of the 21st century. Let us be the Congress that strongly honors our responsibility to protect the American people from terrorism. Let us be the Congress that never forgets our commitment to our veterans and our first responders, always honoring them as the heroes that they are. The American people also spoke clearly for a new direction here at home. They desire a new vision, a new America built on the values that have made our country great. Our Founders envisioned a new America driven by optimism, opportunity, and courage. So confident were they in the America that they were advancing that they put on the seal, the great seal of the United States: ``Novus ordo seclorum,'' a new order for the centuries. Centuries; they spoke of the centuries. They envisioned America as a just and good place, as a fair and efficient society, as a source of hope and opportunity for all. This vision has sustained us for over 200 years, and it accounts for what is best in our great Nation: liberty, opportunity, and justice. Now it is our responsibility to carry forth that vision of a new America into the 21st century. A new America that seizes the future and forges 21st-century solutions through discovery, creativity, and innovation, sustaining our economic leadership and ensuring our national security. A new America with a vibrant and strengthened middle class for whom college is affordable, health care is accessible, and retirement reliable. A new America that declares our energy independence, promotes domestic sources of renewable energy, and combats climate change. A new America that is strong, secure, and a respected leader among the community of nations. And the American people told us they expected us to work together for fiscal responsibility, with the highest ethical standards and with civility and bipartisanship. After years of historic deficits, this 110th Congress will commit itself to a higher standard: pay-as-you-go, no new deficit spending. Our new America will provide unlimited opportunity for future generations, not burden them with mountains of debt. In order to achieve our new America for the 21st century, we must return this House to the American people. So our first order of business is passing the toughest congressional ethics reform in history. This new Congress doesn't have 2 years or 200 days. Let us join together in the first 100 hours to make this Congress the most honest and open Congress in history. 100 hours. This openness requires respect for every voice in the Congress. As Thomas Jefferson said, ``Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.'' My colleagues elected me to be Speaker of the House, the entire House. Respectful of the vision of our Founders, the expectation of our people, and the great challenges that we face, we have an obligation to reach beyond partisanship to work for all Americans. Let us stand together to move our country forward, seeking common ground for the common good. We have made history; now let us make progress for the American people. May God bless our work, and may God bless America. {time} 1430 Before we move forward, because there are so many children here and so many of them asked me if they could touch the gavel, I wanted to invite as many of them who wanted to come forward to come join me up here. I know my own grandchildren will. Let's hear it for the children. We're here for the children. For these children, our children, and for all of America's children, the House will come to order. I am now ready to take the oath of office from the Dean of the Congress of the United States, Mr. Dingell. In acknowledging him, I also want to acknowledge Speaker Foley who has been with us as well. Mr. DINGELL then administered the oath of office to Ms. Pelosi of California, 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 on which you are about to enter, so help you God. (Applause, the Members rising.) Mr. DINGELL. Congratulations, Madam Speaker. ____________________