[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.
____________________