[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 1 (Thursday, January 3, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H2-H5]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                          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 
113th Congress.
  Nominations are now in order.
  The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris 
Rodgers).
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Madam Clerk, the 113th Congress gives us a 
chance to try once again to make a better America than the one we 
inherited from our parents--and from the 112 Congresses that came 
before us. That is the hope of every Member here, on both sides of the 
aisle: to restore this land of freedom and opportunity for our families 
and our children.
  Our task is not an easy one. There are deep divisions, but there's 
one person I have turned to time and again to help point the way 
forward. He is one of 12 children born into a working-class family in 
Ohio, a man who waited tables, mopped floors, tended bar, and

[[Page H3]]

worked his way to a college degree at night school, a small 
businessman, and a proud family man.
  Serving 22 years in Congress, he's been a committee chairman, 
conference chair, and Speaker. But he is, as he likes to say, just ``a 
regular guy with a big job.'' He deeply respects this institution, the 
House of Representatives, and 2 years ago he strengthened committees, 
made operations transparent, and ended earmarks.
  Today, our families need tax reform, immigration reform, and reforms 
to protect Social Security and Medicare. What does he advise? Don't 
kick the can down the road. This is our moment to set the country on a 
solid course and, most importantly, to do what is good and right for 
America. That is solid advice from a great man.
  So it is with great optimism and hope for the great work that we can 
accomplish together that, as chair of the Republican Conference--on a 
unanimous vote of the conference--I present for election to the Office 
of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 113th Congress 
the name of the Honorable John A. Boehner.
  The CLERK. The Clerk now recognizes the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Becerra).
  Mr. BECERRA. Madam Clerk, this is the people's House, and every 2 
years the populace of this country gives those duly-elected 
Representatives of the people an opportunity to decide who will lead 
here in the Chamber of the people's House.
  It is a solemn task. It is one that requires vision; it requires the 
ability to reach across the aisle; and it certainly requires someone 
who has deep principles. Someone who has shown the experience and has 
proven herself as a leader of the people and someone worthy to hold the 
gavel here in the people's House is the person I have the honor of 
putting forward today for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
  I am tasked, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, through the vote 
of that caucus, to present for election to the Office of Speaker of the 
House of Representatives to the 113th Congress the name of the Right 
Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a Representative for the people, duly elected 
from the State of California.
  The CLERK. The names of the Honorable John A. Boehner, a 
Representative-elect from the State of Ohio, 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 appoints the following 
tellers:
  The gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller);
  The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady);
  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 now will be called, and those responding to their names will 
indicate by surname the nominee of their choosing.
  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]

                              BOEHNER--220

     Aderholt
     Alexander
     Amodei
     Bachmann
     Bachus
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bentivolio
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Bonner
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Cantor
     Capito
     Carter
     Cassidy
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Coble
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Conaway
     Cook
     Cotton
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Daines
     Davis, Rodney
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Emerson
     Farenthold
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Gardner
     Garrett
     Gerlach
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gingrey (GA)
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffin (AR)
     Griffith (VA)
     Grimm
     Guthrie
     Hall
     Hanna
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings (WA)
     Heck (NV)
     Hensarling
     Herrera Beutler
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurt
     Issa
     Jenkins
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jordan
     Joyce
     Kelly
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Lankford
     Latham
     Latta
     LoBiondo
     Long
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     Marchant
     Marino
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     Meadows
     Meehan
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Miller, Gary
     Mullin
     Murphy (PA)
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Nunnelee
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Paulsen
     Perry
     Petri
     Pittenger
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Radel
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rice (SC)
     Rigell
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Royce
     Runyan
     Ryan (WI)
     Salmon
     Scalise
     Schock
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Southerland
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Stutzman
     Terry
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tipton
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walorski
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Young (IN)

                              PELOSI--192

     Andrews
     Barber
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Bera
     Bishop (GA)
     Bishop (NY)
     Bonamici
     Brady (PA)
     Braley (IA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clarke
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Costa
     Courtney
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle
     Duckworth
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Enyart
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Fattah
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Hanabusa
     Hastings (FL)
     Heck (WA)
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinojosa
     Holt
     Honda
     Horsford
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Kuster
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Levin
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lowey
     Lujan, Grisham (NM)
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Lynch
     Maffei
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Maloney, Sean
     Markey
     Matsui
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Meng
     Michaud
     Miller, George
     Moore
     Moran
     Murphy (FL)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Negrete McLeod
     Nolan
     O'Rourke
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor (AZ)
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters (CA)
     Peters (MI)
     Peterson
     Pingree (ME)
     Pocan
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Richmond
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Schrader
     Schwartz
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Shea-Porter
     Sherman
     Sinema
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Tierney
     Titus
     Tonko
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Welch
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                               CANTOR--3

     Bridenstine
     Pearce
     Yoho

                             ALLEN WEST--2

     Broun (GA)
     Gohmert
       

                               COOPER--2

     Lipinski
     McIntyre
       

                                LEWIS--1

       
     Barrow
       

                               JORDAN--1

       
     Huelskamp
       

                            COLIN POWELL--1

       
     Cooper
       

                              LABRADOR--1

       
     Amash
       

                                AMASH--1

       
     Massie
       

                               DINGELL--1

       
     Matheson
       

                            DAVID WALKER--1

       
     Jones
       

[[Page H4]]



                               PRESENT--1

       
     Stockman
       

                             NOT VOTING--6

     Blumenauer
     Boehner
     Labrador
     Lewis
     Mulvaney
     Roybal-Allard

                              {time}  1338

  The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number 
of votes cast is 426, of which the Honorable John A. Boehner of the 
State of Ohio has received 220 votes, and the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of 
the State of California has received 192 votes, the Honorable Raul 
Labrador of the State of Idaho has received 1, the Honorable John Lewis 
of the State of Georgia has received 1, the Honorable Eric Cantor of 
the State of Virginia has received 3, the Honorable Allen West has 
received 2, Colin Powell has received 1, the Honorable Jim Jordan of 
the State of Ohio has received 1, David Walker has received 1, the 
Honorable Jim Cooper of the State of Tennessee has received 2, the 
Honorable Justin Amash of the State of Michigan has received 1, the 
Honorable John Dingell of the State of Michigan has received 1, with 1 
recorded as ``present.''
  Therefore, the Honorable John A. Boehner of the State of Ohio, having 
received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected Speaker of the 
House of Representatives for the 113th Congress.
  The Clerk appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair:
  The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor)
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy)
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer)
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers)
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn)
  The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra)
  The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lankford)
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley)
  The gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins)
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel)
  The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx)
  The gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro)
  The gentlewoman from Missouri (Ms. Wagner)
  The gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions)
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen)
  The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam)
  The gentlewoman from New Mexico (Ms. Lujan Grisham)
  And the Members of the Ohio delegation:
  Ms. Kaptur
  Mr. Tiberi
  Mr. Ryan
  Mr. Turner
  Mr. Latta
  Mr. Jordan
  Ms. Fudge
  Mr. Chabot
  Mr. Gibbs
  Mr. Johnson
  Mr. Renacci
  Mr. Stivers
  Ms. Beatty
  Mr. Joyce, and
  Mr. Wenstrup
  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 113th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by 
the Committee of Escort.
  Ms. PELOSI. To my fellow Members of the House of Representatives, it 
is a high honor to welcome you to the 113th Congress.
  To our newest Members of Congress, it is a special privilege and 
honor to welcome you and your families and extend congratulations to 
the newest Members of Congress. Welcome.
  To reach this day, each of us has been strengthened by our faith and 
our families. With a full and grateful heart, I want to thank my 
family: my husband of 49 years, Paul Pelosi; our children, Nancy 
Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra; and our 
grandchildren who are represented here today by our granddaughter, 
Madeleine. And I have to include the D'Alesandro family of Baltimore in 
that gratitude, as well.
  I must thank my constituents in San Francisco for giving me the 
privilege of representing that beautiful and diverse city in the 
Congress of the United States.
  Each of us here today is truly a representative, a representative in 
the truest sense of the word: to represent the highest hopes and 
aspirations of the American people.
  On New Year's Eve, some of you, a large number of Members of 
Congress, joined hundreds of people at the National Archives building 
where we observed, at midnight, the 150th anniversary of the signing of 
the Emancipation Proclamation.
  At midnight, there was an enactment of Harriet Tubman ringing the 
bell. And as she rang the bell, she said, ``Now we are free.'' It was 
quite an incredible moment, and it was one that ushered in what 
President Lincoln would call a ``new birth of freedom'' for his era and 
for generations to come.
  That transformative moment in our history is a reminder of the best 
traditions we have as a people: the ability and obligation of each 
generation of Americans to renew the promise of our Founders and to 
carry forward the torch of progress to reignite the American Dream.
  This is who we are as Americans. This is the character of our 
country. This is the strength of our democracy. The strength of our 
democracy rests in a strong and thriving middle class, the backbone of 
our democracy that middle class is, so we have a moral imperative to 
invest in good-paying jobs here at home and in the prosperity of our 
people as we build our infrastructure and we reduce the deficit.
  We must ensure that innovation rests at the heart of our success, 
that we remain first in science, technology, engineering and energy, 
and that we educate and prepare our young people for the opportunities 
of tomorrow. And when we make it in America, all of America's families 
can make it in America.
  The strength of our democracy also demands that we restore the 
confidence of the American people in our political process. We must 
empower the voters, and we must remove obstacles of participation in 
our democracy for all Americans. We must increase the level of civility 
and reduce the role of money in our elections. When we do, we will 
elect more women, more minorities, and more young people to public 
office. And that's a good thing.
  The American people are what make our country great. By and large, 
the United States is a Nation of immigrants, built, enriched, and 
strengthened by men, women, and children who share our patriotism and 
seek the American Dream. The strength of our democracy will be advanced 
by bold actions for comprehensive immigration reform.
  Today, we take an oath to protect and defend our Constitution, our 
people, and our freedom. To protect and defend, that is our first 
responsibility. And our democracy requires that we each uphold the duty 
of keeping Americans safe in their homes, in their schools, and in 
their neighborhoods.
  As we mourn the families of Newtown, we know that ensuring the safety 
of all Americans will be a truly meaningful tribute to the children and 
teachers of Sandy Hook Elementary School. For the strength of our 
democracy and for the sake of our children, let us work together to 
protect and defend all of our people.
  In the same year that President Lincoln issued the Emancipation 
Proclamation, the Statue of Freedom was unveiled atop the Capitol Dome. 
And that dome continues to be a beacon of freedom to the world and a 
source of inspiration for all who have had the honor to serve in 
Congress.
  As we take our oath of office today, let us renew the promise of 
freedom. Let us work in friendship and partnership to live up to the 
legacy of our Founders and the aspirations of our constituents. Let us 
renew the strength of our democracy by reigniting the American Dream.
  As we celebrate this moment, let us honor and thank those Americans 
who protect our democracy and secure our

[[Page H5]]

freedom: our veterans, our men and women in uniform and their families 
wherever they go. God bless them. God bless America. Thank you all.
  Now the House will continue to be led by a proud son of Ohio, a man 
of conviction and a public servant of resolve. Speaker Boehner is a 
leader who has earned the confidence of his conference and the respect 
of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
  He is a man of faith: faith in God, faith in our country, and faith 
in his family. And as we congratulate him, we also congratulate and 
thank his wife, Debbie, and their two daughters, Lindsay and Trisha, 
and the entire Boehner family.
  Speaker Boehner, I know all too well that we will not always agree, 
but I hope with all my heart that we will find common ground that is a 
higher, better place for our country.

                              {time}  1400

  Surely we can be touched by the better angels of our nature. Surely 
we can be touched by the better angels of our nature. So beautifully 
expressed by President Lincoln.
  This is the people's House; this is the people's gavel. It represents 
a sacred trust. May we all fulfill that trust and make real the ideals 
of democratic government.
  With respect for our Constitution, with faith in the American people, 
with hope for the future of our country, I present the people's gavel 
to the Speaker of the House, John Boehner.
  May God bless you.
  May God bless you, Speaker Boehner. May God bless this Congress. May 
God always bless the United States of America.
  My colleagues, the Speaker of the House, John Boehner.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Leader Pelosi, thank you for your kind words.
  Members of the House, the Senate, my wife Debbie, who is with us 
today--thankfully the girls are working--and all of you and our fellow 
countrymen, we meet again at democracy's great port of call.
  Every 2 years, at this hour, the Constitution brings a new order to 
this House, and it's an interlude for reflection, a glimpse of old 
truths. To our new Members and their families, let me just say 
``welcome.''
  I know you're feeling a bit awestruck at this moment. History runs 
through this building. Now you're among a select few to share in this 
privilege. For those of you who are returning, who've walked these 
aisles before, maybe it's time we get a little awestruck again.
  The way our Founders envisioned it, the Republic would be led by 
citizens who recognize the blessings that we receive by governing 
ourselves, and it requires that we give something of ourselves. 
Everything depended on this. So they made each other and their 
successors swear an oath of allegiance.
  In a few moments, I'll take this oath for the 12th time as the 
representative from the Eighth District of Ohio. It is word for word 
the same oath that we all take. Note that it makes no mention of party 
or faction or title. It contains no reference to agendas or to 
platforms, only to the Constitution. The one addition we dare make, as 
George Washington did at the very first inaugural, is to invoke the 
assistance of our Heavenly Father.
  This covenant makes us servants of posterity. It calls us to refuse 
the pull of passing interest and follow the fixed star of a more 
perfect union. Put simply, we're sent here not to be something, but to 
do something. Or as I like to call it, ``doing the right thing.''
  It's a big job, and it comes with big challenges. Our government has 
built up too much debt. Our economy is not producing enough jobs. And 
these are not separate problems. At $16 trillion and rising, our 
national debt is draining free enterprise and weakening the ship of 
state. The American Dream is in peril so long as its namesake is 
weighed down by this anchor of debt. Break its hold, and we begin to 
set our economy free, jobs will come home, and confidence will come 
back. We do this not just to boost GDP or reduce unemployment, but to 
secure for our children a future of freedom and opportunity, and, 
frankly, nothing is more important.
  As Washington wrote in his farewell address, ``We should not throw 
upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.'' Well, 
that burden is ours, and so is the opportunity.
  There's no substitute for the wisdom of the people. We here are their 
servants. As Speaker, I pledge to listen and to do all I can to help 
all of you carry out your oath of office that we're all about to take. 
Because in our hearts we know it's wrong to pass this debt on to our 
kids and our grandkids. Now, we have to be willing, truly willing to 
make this problem right.
  Public service was never meant to be an easy living. Extraordinary 
challenges demand extraordinary leadership. So if you've come here to 
see your name in the lights or to pass off a political victory as some 
accomplishment, you've come to the wrong place. The door is right 
behind you. If you come here humbled by the opportunity to serve, if 
you've come here to be the determined voice of the people, if you've 
come here to carry the standard of leadership demanded not by our 
constituents but by the times, then you've come to the right place.
  There is a time for every purpose under Heaven. For the 113th 
Congress, it is a time to rise. When the day is over and the verdict is 
read, maybe it's said that we well and faithfully did our duty to 
ensure that freedom will endure and prevail, so help us God.
  I am now ready to take the oath of office.
  I ask the Dean of the House of Representatives, the Honorable John D. 
Dingell of Michigan, to administer the oath of office.
  Mr. Dingell then administered the oath of office to Mr. Boehner of 
Ohio, as follows:

       Do you solemnly swear or affirm 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, Mr. Speaker.

                          ____________________