[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.

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