[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 160 (Thursday, October 29, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H7337-H7340]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
The SPEAKER. Pursuant to the Speaker's announcement of October 29,
2015, the Chair will receive nominations for the Office of Speaker.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris
Rodgers).
Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Mr. Speaker, today, in the people's House, it
gives me great honor to nominate the people's Speaker.
You don't need to look any further than the architecture of
Washington, D.C., to see what our Founders envisioned. It is not by
mistake that the dome over the Congress is the very center of the
Federal city. The White House and the Supreme Court are set about us,
satellites to the supreme power of the people expressed in this
legislative body.
In the House, we are eager for a fresh start that will make us more
effective to fulfill our obligation to reflect the will of the people
and to reestablish the balance of power.
There is no better person to lead us in that calling than the man I
am about to nominate. He was first elected to the House at the ripe old
age of 28, and he has served here now for almost 17 years.
We all remember when he led the House Budget Committee: the visionary
proposals, the lengthy debates. And who could forget those PowerPoints?
He is now the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. But he
is more than a chairman to us. He is more than a colleague. He is our
friend. He is a leader.
Through it all, he has never forgotten his roots. He lives on the
same block he grew up on in Janesville, Wisconsin. There is no place he
would rather be than at home with his family.
He will continue to put the people of this country first. And I can
say, in all candor, he did not seek this office. The office sought him.
As chair of the House Republican Conference, I am directed by the
vote of that Conference to present for election to the Office of
Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress the
Representative from the State of Wisconsin, the man from Janesville,
the Honorable Paul D. Ryan.
The SPEAKER. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from California
(Mr. Becerra).
Mr. BECERRA. Mr. Speaker, I offer my congratulations to my friend,
the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), on his nomination by his
colleagues.
At this time, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus of this House, I
wish to place in nomination the name of a proven leader for the Office
of Speaker of the House of Representatives:
A leader who has accomplished, in this Chamber and for this country,
what few can match;
A leader who, as Speaker of this House, secured passage of landmark
economic recovery package legislation in 2009 which transformed a
diving economy, losing 800,000 jobs each month, to one which has now
created more than 13 million jobs over the last 67 consecutive months
of job growth;
A leader who, as Speaker, accomplished what 70 years of Congresses
could not, enactment of our lifesaving health security law, which has
put 18 million more Americans in control of their and their children's
health care;
A leader who had the foresight, in 2008, to fight for the biggest
investment in our troops since World War II, with the passage of the
Post-9/11 GI Bill, and the largest investment in our veterans' health
care and benefits in the 77-year history of the VA;
A leader who was not afraid to take on the challenge of fixing our
broken immigration system and secured passage of the DREAM Act in 2010.
Mr. Speaker, leadership is about making the tough choices and getting
things done. It means knowing how to build a majority, not just with
the members of your own political party, but with the 435 elected
Members of the House of Representatives so we can get things done. This
leader understands that and knows how to get things done, even while
serving in the minority in this House.
That is why, less than 24 hours ago, this leader succeeded in
breaking through the gridlock in this House and secured the votes
needed to avert a senseless government shutdown and a perilous default
on the payment of America's bills. Thanks to this leader, 16.5 million
seniors will not suffer a $55-per-month increase in their Medicare
premiums and Congress will not cut the Social Security benefits of 11
million disabled Americans by 20 percent.
Mr. Speaker, that is leadership, and that is what Americans expect
from those they elect. That is why it is my privilege, as chairman of
the House Democratic Caucus and as directed by the colleagues of the
Democratic Caucus, to nominate for election to the Office of Speaker of
the House of Representatives, from the 12th District of the great State
of California, the Honorable Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro Pelosi.
The SPEAKER. The names of the Honorable Paul D. Ryan, a
Representative from the State of Wisconsin, and the Honorable Nancy
Pelosi, a Representative from the State of California, have been placed
in nomination.
Are there further nominations?
There being no further nominations, the Chair 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 will now 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. 581]
RYAN (WI)--236
Abraham
Aderholt
Allen
Amash
Amodei
Babin
Barletta
Barr
Barton
Benishek
Bilirakis
Bishop (MI)
Bishop (UT)
Black
Blackburn
Blum
Boehner
Bost
Boustany
Brady (TX)
Bridenstine
Brooks (AL)
Brooks (IN)
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burgess
Byrne
Calvert
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chabot
Chaffetz
Coffman
Cole
Collins (GA)
Collins (NY)
Comstock
Conaway
Cook
Costello (PA)
Cramer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Culberson
Curbelo (FL)
Davis, Rodney
Denham
Dent
DeSantis
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Dold
Donovan
Duffy
Duncan (SC)
Duncan (TN)
Ellmers (NC)
Emmer (MN)
Farenthold
Fincher
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Fleming
Flores
Forbes
Fortenberry
Foxx
Franks (AZ)
Frelinghuysen
Garrett
Gibbs
Gibson
Goodlatte
Gowdy
Granger
Graves (GA)
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Griffith
Grothman
Guinta
Guthrie
Hanna
Hardy
Harper
Harris
Hartzler
Heck (NV)
Hensarling
Herrera Beutler
Hice, Jody B.
Hill
Holding
Hudson
Huelskamp
Huizenga (MI)
Hultgren
Hunter
Hurd (TX)
Hurt (VA)
Issa
Jenkins (KS)
Jenkins (WV)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson, Sam
Jolly
Jordan
Joyce
Katko
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
King (IA)
King (NY)
Kinzinger (IL)
Kline
Knight
Labrador
LaHood
LaMalfa
Lamborn
Lance
Latta
LoBiondo
Long
Loudermilk
Love
Lucas
Luetkemeyer
Lummis
MacArthur
Marchant
Marino
McCarthy
McCaul
McClintock
McHenry
McKinley
McMorris Rodgers
McSally
Meadows
Meehan
Messer
Mica
Miller (FL)
Miller (MI)
Moolenaar
Mooney (WV)
Mullin
Mulvaney
Murphy (PA)
Neugebauer
Newhouse
Noem
Nugent
Nunes
Olson
Palazzo
Palmer
Paulsen
Pearce
Perry
Pittenger
Pitts
Poe (TX)
Poliquin
Pompeo
Price, Tom
Ratcliffe
Reed
Reichert
Renacci
Ribble
Rice (SC)
Rigell
Roby
Roe (TN)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rohrabacher
Rokita
Rooney (FL)
Ros-Lehtinen
Roskam
Ross
Rothfus
Rouzer
Royce
[[Page H7338]]
Russell
Salmon
Sanford
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sensenbrenner
Sessions
Shimkus
Shuster
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smith (TX)
Stefanik
Stewart
Stivers
Stutzman
Thompson (PA)
Thornberry
Tiberi
Tipton
Trott
Turner
Upton
Valadao
Wagner
Walberg
Walden
Walker
Walorski
Walters, Mimi
Wenstrup
Westerman
Westmoreland
Whitfield
Williams
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Woodall
Yoder
Young (AK)
Young (IA)
Young (IN)
Zeldin
Zinke
PELOSI--184
Adams
Aguilar
Ashford
Bass
Beatty
Becerra
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Bonamici
Boyle, Brendan F.
Brady (PA)
Brown (FL)
Brownley (CA)
Bustos
Butterfield
Capps
Capuano
Cardenas
Carney
Carson (IN)
Cartwright
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Chu, Judy
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Clay
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Conyers
Costa
Courtney
Crowley
Cuellar
Cummings
Davis (CA)
Davis, Danny
DeFazio
DeGette
Delaney
DeLauro
DelBene
DeSaulnier
Deutch
Dingell
Doggett
Doyle, Michael F.
Duckworth
Edwards
Ellison
Engel
Eshoo
Esty
Farr
Fattah
Foster
Frankel (FL)
Fudge
Gabbard
Gallego
Garamendi
Grayson
Green, Al
Green, Gene
Grijalva
Gutierrez
Hahn
Hastings
Heck (WA)
Higgins
Himes
Hinojosa
Honda
Hoyer
Huffman
Israel
Jackson Lee
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson, E. B.
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy
Kildee
Kilmer
Kind
Kirkpatrick
Kuster
Langevin
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Lawrence
Lee
Levin
Lewis
Lieu, Ted
Lipinski
Loebsack
Lofgren
Lowenthal
Lowey
Lujan Grisham (NM)
Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
Lynch
Maloney, Carolyn
Maloney, Sean
Matsui
McCollum
McDermott
McGovern
McNerney
Meng
Moore
Moulton
Murphy (FL)
Nadler
Napolitano
Neal
Nolan
Norcross
O'Rourke
Pallone
Pascrell
Payne
Pelosi
Perlmutter
Peters
Peterson
Pingree
Pocan
Polis
Price (NC)
Quigley
Rangel
Rice (NY)
Richmond
Roybal-Allard
Ruiz
Ruppersberger
Rush
Ryan (OH)
Sanchez, Linda T.
Sanchez, Loretta
Sarbanes
Schakowsky
Schiff
Schrader
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Serrano
Sewell (AL)
Sherman
Sires
Slaughter
Smith (WA)
Speier
Swalwell (CA)
Takai
Takano
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tonko
Torres
Tsongas
Van Hollen
Vargas
Veasey
Vela
Velazquez
Visclosky
Walz
Wasserman Schultz
Waters, Maxine
Watson Coleman
Welch
Wilson (FL)
Yarmuth
WEBSTER (FL)--9
Brat
Clawson (FL)
Gohmert
Gosar
Jones
Massie
Posey
Weber (TX)
Yoho
COLIN POWELL--1
Cooper
COOPER--1
Graham
LEWIS--1
Sinema
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0
NOT VOTING--3
Meeks
Ryan (WI)
Webster (FL)
{time} 1046
The SPEAKER. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number
of votes cast is 432, of which the Honorable Paul D. Ryan of the State
of Wisconsin has received 236, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of the State
of California has received 184, the Honorable Daniel Webster of the
State of Florida has received 9, the Honorable Jim Cooper of the State
of Tennessee has received 1, the Honorable John Lewis of the State of
Georgia has received 1, and the Honorable Colin Powell has received 1.
Therefore, the Honorable Paul D. Ryan of the State of Wisconsin,
having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected Speaker
of the House of Representatives.
The Chair appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair:
The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy)
The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi)
The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise)
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 Indiana (Mr. Messer)
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 gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Ben Ray Lujan)
The gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner)
The gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro)
The gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Mimi Walters)
The gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards)
The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions)
The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen)
The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry)
And the Members of the Wisconsin delegation:
Mr. Sensenbrenner
Mr. Kind
Ms. Moore
Mr. Duffy
Mr. Ribble
Mr. Pocan
Mr. Grothman
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 114th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by
the Committee of Escort.
{time} 1100
Ms. PELOSI. My dear colleagues of the 114th Congress of the United
States, today, as every day, we come to this floor strengthened and
inspired by the support of our colleagues, the trust of our
constituents, and the love of our families.
My special thanks to my husband, Paul; our five children; our nine
grandchildren; and the entire Pelosi and D'Alesandro families for their
support.
My deep gratitude to the people of San Francisco for the continued
honor they give me to represent them here.
My heartfelt thanks to my Democratic colleagues for extending me the
honor of being nominated to be Speaker of the House. Thank you, my
colleagues.
Today, we bid farewell to a Speaker who has served his constituents
and this Congress with honor for 25 years, Speaker John Boehner.
In his story, we are reminded of the enduring, exceptional promise of
America--this hardworking son of an Ohio bartender and owner who grew
up to be the Speaker of the House of Representatives. John Boehner
talked about the American Dream. John Boehner, you are the
personification of the American Dream.
As you all know, Speaker Boehner was a formidable spokesman for the
Republican agenda. My Republican colleagues, I am sure you know--and I
can attest--to the fact that he was always true and loyal to the
members of his Conference in any negotiations we ever had.
Although we had our differences and often, I always respected his
dedication to this House and his commitment to his values. Thank you,
John, for your leadership and courage as Speaker.
Your graciousness as Speaker extended and was reflected in your staff
under the leadership of Mike Sommers, whom we all respect. Thank you to
John Boehner's staff.
I know I speak for everyone here, Democrats and Republicans, when I
thank you for making the visit of His Holiness Pope Francis such a
beautiful and meaningful experience for all of us.
Today, we extend our thanks and congratulations to Debbie; your
daughters, Lindsay and Tricia; and the entire Boehner family, now
including grandson, Allister.
Let's hear it for the family of John Boehner.
On behalf of House Democrats and personally, I wish you and your
family all of God's blessings in the glorious years ahead.
Last month, we witnessed something truly special when Pope Francis
made history addressing a joint session of Congress. Standing right
here, Pope Francis called on us to seek hope,
[[Page H7339]]
peace, and dialogue for all people and reminded us of our duty to find
a way forward for everyone. ``A good political leader,'' His Holiness
said, ``is one who, with the interest of all in mind, seizes the moment
in a spirit of openness and pragmatism.''
Pope Francis echoed the principles of our Founders that placed at the
heart of our democracy the saying, ``E Pluribus Unum,'' from many, one.
The Founders could never have imagined how vast our country would
become, how diverse and many we would be--ethnically, gender
identities, beliefs, and priorities--but they knew we had to be one.
Every day in this House and across the country we pledge allegiance
to one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
This is the beauty of America, that for all of our honest
differences, perspectives, and priorities aired and argued so
passionately on this floor, we are committed to being one nation.
Despite our differences--in fact, respecting them--I look forward to a
clear debate in this marketplace of ideas, the people's House of
Representatives.
So, my fellow colleagues, we have a responsibility to act upon our
shared faith in the greatness of our country. We have a responsibility
to be worthy of the sacrifices of our troops, our veterans, and our
military families. We have a responsibility to make real the promise of
the American Dream for all.
There is important work before the Congress. We must do more to
promote growth, decrease the deficit, create good-paying jobs, and
increase the paychecks of America's working families.
Today, in this House, a page is turned. A new chapter has begun.
Today, the gavel passes to a proud son of Wisconsin, the first Speaker
from Wisconsin.
Paul Ryan has had the full breadth of experience on Capitol Hill,
from a young staffer to a Tortilla Coast waiter--shall I say that
again?--Tortilla Coast waiter--to a Congressman, to being a sincere and
proud advocate for his point of view as chairman of the Budget
Committee, as a respected leader and chairman of the Ways and Means
Committee, and in a minute, he will be the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
Mr. Speaker, today, on behalf of House Democrats, I extend the hand
of friendship to you.
Congratulations to you, Paul, and to Janna; your children, Liza,
Charlie, and Sam; your mother, who is here--how proud she must be--and
the entire Ryan family, whom we all know mean so much to you.
Mr. Speaker, God bless you and your family. And God bless the United
States of America.
This is the people's House. This is the people's gavel. In the
people's name, it is my privilege to hand this gavel to the Speaker-
elect of the House, Congressman and Honorable Paul D. Ryan.
Mr. RYAN of Wisconsin. Thank you, Madam Leader.
Before I begin, I would like to thank all of my family and friends
who flew in from Wisconsin and from all over for being here today.
In the gallery I have my mom, Betty; my sister, Janet; my brothers,
Stan and Tobin; and more cousins than I can count on a few hands.
Most importantly, I want to recognize my wife, Janna; and our
children: Liza, Charlie, and Sam.
I also want to thank Speaker Boehner. For almost 5 years, he led this
House. For nearly 25 years, he served it. Not many people can match his
accomplishments, the offices he held, the laws he passed.
But what really sets John apart is he is a man of character, a true
class act. He is, without question, the gentleman from Ohio. So please
join me in saying one last time, ``Thank you, Speaker Boehner.''
Now I know how he felt. It is not until you hold this gavel, stand in
this spot, look out and see all 435 Members of this House, as if all
America is sitting right in front of you--it is not until then that you
feel it, the weight of responsibility and the gravity of the moment.
As I stand here, I can't help but think of something Harry Truman
once said. The day after Franklin Roosevelt died, Truman became
President. He told a group of reporters, ``If you ever pray, pray for
me now.''
When they told me yesterday what had happened, I felt like the Moon,
the stars, and all the planets had fallen on me. We should all feel
that way. A lot is on our shoulders. So if you ever pray, let's pray
for each other, Republicans for Democrats and Democrats for
Republicans.
{time} 1115
And I don't mean pray for a conversion, all right? Pray for a deeper
understanding. Because when you are up here, you see it so clearly.
Wherever you come from, whatever you believe, we are all in the same
boat.
I never thought I would be Speaker, but early in my life, I wanted to
serve this House. I thought this place was exhilarating because here
you can make a difference. If you had a good idea, if you worked hard,
you could make it happen. You could improve people's lives. To me, the
House of Representatives represents what is the best of America: the
boundless opportunity to do good.
But let's be frank. The House is broken. We are not solving problems.
We are adding to them. I am not interested in laying blame. We are not
settling scores. We are wiping the slate clean.
Neither the Members nor the people are satisfied with how things are
going. We need to make some changes, starting with how the House does
business. We need to let every Member contribute, not once they have
earned their stripes, but now.
I come at this job as a two-time committee chair. The committees
should retake the lead in drafting all major legislation. If you know
the issue, you should write the bill.
Let's open up the process. Let people participate, and they might
change their mind. A neglected minority will gum up the works. A
respected minority will work in good faith. Instead of trying to stop
the majority, they might try to become the majority. In other words, we
need to return to regular order.
Now, I know this sounds like process. It is actually a matter of
principle. We are the body closest to the people. Every 2 years, we
face the voters and sometimes face the music. But we do not echo the
people; we represent the people. We are supposed to study up and do the
homework that they cannot do. So when we do not follow regular order,
when we rush to pass bills that a lot of us don't understand, we are
not doing our job. Only a fully functioning House can truly represent
the people; and if there were ever a time for us to step up, this would
be that time.
America does not feel strong anymore because the working people of
America do not feel strong anymore. I am talking about the people who
mind the store and grow the food and walk the beat and pay the taxes
and raise the family. They do not sit in this House. They do not have
fancy titles, but they are the people who make this country work, and
this House should work for them.
Here is the problem. They are working hard. They are paying a lot.
They are trying to do right by their families, and they are going
nowhere fast. They never get a raise. They never get a break. The bills
keep piling up and the taxes and the debt. They are working harder than
ever before to get ahead, and yet they are falling further behind. They
feel robbed. They feel cheated of their birthright. They are not asking
for any favors. They just want a fair chance, and they are losing faith
that they will ever get it.
Then they look at Washington, and all they see is chaos. What a
relief to them it would be if we finally got our acts together. What a
weight off of their shoulders. How reassuring it would be if we
actually fixed the Tax Code, put patients in charge of their health
care, grew our economy, strengthened our military, lifted people out of
poverty, and paid down our debt. At this point, nothing could be more
inspiring than a job well done. Nothing could stir the heart more than
real, concrete results.
The cynics will scoff. They will say it is not possible. You better
believe, we are going to try. We will not duck the tough issues; we
will take them head-on. We are going to do all we can do so that
working people get their strength back and people not working get their
lives back. No more favors for the few. ``Opportunity for all,'' that
is our motto.
I often talk about a need for a vision. I am not sure I ever really
said what I
[[Page H7340]]
meant. We solve problems here, yes. We create a lot of them, too. But
at bottom, we vindicate a way of life. We show by our work that free
people can govern themselves. They can solve their own problems. They
can make their own decisions. They can deliberate, collaborate, and get
the job done.
We show that self-government is not only more efficient and more
effective, it is more fulfilling. In fact, we show it is that struggle,
that hard work, that very achievement itself that makes us free. That
is what we do here.
We will not always agree, not all of us, not all of the time, but we
should not hide our disagreements. We should embrace them. We have
nothing to fear from honest differences honestly stated. If you have
ideas, let's hear them. I believe that a greater clarity between us can
lead to greater charity among us, and there is every reason to have
hope.
When the first Speaker took the gavel, he looked out at a room of 30
people, representing a nation of 3 million. Today, as I look out at
each and every one of you, we represent a nation of 300 million.
So when I hear people say that America doesn't have it, we are done,
we are spent, I don't believe it. I believe with every fiber of my
being that we can renew the American idea. Now our task is to make us
all believe.
My friends, you have done me a great honor. The people of this
country, they have done all of us a great honor. Now let's prove
ourselves worthy of it. Let's seize the moment. Let's rise to the
occasion. And when we are done, let us say that we left the people--all
the people--more united, happy, and free.
Thank you.
I am now ready to take the oath of office.
I ask the Dean of the House of Representatives, the Honorable John
Conyers, Jr., of Michigan, to administer the oath of office.
Mr. CONYERS then administered the oath of office to Mr. Paul D. Ryan
of Wisconsin, 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. CONYERS. Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.
____________________