[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 20, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S65-S66]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             MAIDEN SPEECH

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I need to catch my breath, so much has 
happened.
  A few hours ago, on the West Front of this citadel of democracy, Joe 
Biden and Kamala Harris were administered the oaths of Office to the 
Presidency and Vice Presidency of the United States. We have turned the 
page to a new chapter in the history of our democracy, and I am full of 
hope.
  I would challenge anyone not to feel hopeful today after listening to 
Amanda Gorman, the amazing 22-year-old poet, wise far beyond her years, 
who told us that:

     Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
     a nation that isn't broken
     but simply unfinished

  The hope she spoke about--the strong and happy hope--the hope we feel 
today, is a hope, of course, that is tempered by reality. This was an 
inauguration unlike most others. The crowds that customarily line the 
National Mall were absent, a reminder that our Nation is still in the 
throes of a deadly pandemic.
  The presence of thousands of National Guardsmen, police, and Secret 
Service was a reminder that 2 weeks ago, in this very room and on those 
very steps where President Biden took the oath, a mob of violent 
criminals tried to dismantle our democracy--our sacred democracy--brick 
by brick and would try again if they could.
  But, as President Biden said a few hours ago, today, democracy has 
prevailed, the will of the people was heeded, and the peaceful transfer 
of power fulfilled. It takes a lot more than a band of hooligans to 
bring our grand democracy down.
  Let it be a message to our friends and adversaries around the world 
that our democracy, though it has been tried and been tested, shall 
long endure. And let it be a message to those terrorists who desecrated 
this temple of democracy that they will never prevail.
  Joe Biden is now the 46th President of the United States. Kamala 
Harris is now the 49th Vice President of the United States. But, of 
course, in more ways than one, she is not the 49th but the first--the 
first African-American woman, the first Asian-American woman, and the 
first woman, period, to hold the Office of Vice Presidency in our 
Nation's history.
  Today, the threat to our democracy from the Presidency itself has 
ended, but the challenges we face as a nation remain. In the wake of 
violence and division, hatred and mistruth, in the shadow of disease 
and economic hardship, a warming planet and unequal society, we begin 
the work of the 117th Congress.
  In his inaugural address, President Biden spoke to this moment--a 
moment of great challenge--and told us two simple truths: One, that our 
responsibilities are numerous, and, two, it will take unity--unity of 
spirit, unity of purpose--to fulfill them.
  President Biden, we heard you loud and clear. We have a lengthy 
agenda, and we need to get it done together.
  President Biden pointed the way to our Nation's recovery and renewal. 
He reminded us of who we are and where we need to go, but we must now 
turn the spirit of his words into action.
  The Senate must immediately set to work on the mission President 
Biden described--restoring the greatness and goodness of America. This 
will be an exceptionally busy and consequential period for the U.S. 
Senate. There is much to do, and we are ready to get to work.
  Now, not to upstage our new President and Vice President, but theirs 
has not been the only swearing in today. A few moments ago, the Senate 
welcomed three new Members to this Chamber. I can now happily and 
proudly call them Senator Padilla, Senator Ossoff, and Senator Warnock. 
They join Senators Kelly, Hickenlooper, and Lujan as part of a six-
Member class of Democratic Senators and a new Democratic Senate 
majority.
  I mention the historic nature of Vice President Harris' ascendance, 
but let's not forget that her successor, Alex Padilla, is the first 
Latino Senator to represent California; that Rafael Warnock, born while 
Georgia was represented in this Chamber by two staunch segregationists, 
is now the first African-American Senator Georgia has ever elected; and 
that John Ossoff is the first Jewish Senator from his State, sworn in 
today on a book of Hebrew Scripture once owned by the rabbi, who, 
decades ago, formed a bond between the Jewish and African-American 
communities of Georgia.
  As President Biden said in his inaugural address, ``don't tell me 
things can't change.'' With the swearing in of these three Senators, 
the Senate will turn to Democratic control, for which I deeply thank my 
colleagues. We will return to Democratic control under the first New 
York-born majority leader in American history--a kid from Brooklyn, the 
son of an exterminator and a housewife, and a descendant of victims of 
the Holocaust.
  That I should be the leader of this new Senate majority is an awesome 
responsibility--awesome in the Biblical sense, as the angels that 
tremble in awe before God. Today, I feel the full weight of that 
responsibility, a sense of reverence and of awe at the trust placed in 
me. I intend to honor that trust with all of my energy and with joy.
  And as the majority changes in the Senate, the Senate will do 
business differently. The Senate will address the challenges our 
country faces head on and without delay, not with timid solutions but 
with boldness and with courage. The Senate will tackle the perils of 
the moment, a once-in-a-generation health and economic crisis, and it 
will strive to make progress on generations-long struggle for racial 
justice, economic justice, equality of opportunity, and equality under 
the law.
  And make no mistake, the Senate will forcefully, consistently, and 
urgently address the greatest threat to this country and to our planet: 
climate change.
  This Senate will legislate. It will be active, responsive, energetic, 
and bold.
  And to my Republican colleagues, when and where we can, the 
Democratic majority will strive to make this important work bipartisan. 
The Senate works best when we work together. We have no choice.
  The challenges we face are great. The divisions in the country are 
real. We have no choice but to try to work together every day to reward 
the faith the American people have placed in us. So let us begin.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader.

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