[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 12 (Thursday, January 21, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S75-S79]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           INAUGURAL CEREMONY

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Inaugural Ceremony proceedings be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the proceedings of the Inaugural Ceremony 
were ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                           Inaugural Ceremony

       Inauguration of Joseph R. Biden, Jr., January 20, 2021, 
     10:33 a.m.

[[Page S76]]

       The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark A. 
     Milley, assembled on the President's platform.
       Leadership of the United States House of Representatives: 
     Republican whip, the Honorable Stephen Scalise; and majority 
     whip, the Honorable James E. Clyburn, assembled on the 
     President's platform.
       Leadership of the United States Senate: President pro 
     tempore emeritus, the Honorable Patrick Leahy, and Mrs. 
     Marcelle Leahy; Democratic whip, the Honorable Dick Durbin, 
     and Ms. Reema Dodin; majority whip, the Honorable John Thune, 
     and Mrs. Kimberley Thune; Democratic leader, the Honorable 
     Charles Schumer, and Mrs. Iris Weinshall Schumer; President 
     pro tempore of the Senate, the Honorable Chuck Grassley, and 
     Ms. Jennifer Heins assembled on the President's platform.
       Former Vice President, the Honorable Dan Quayle, assembled 
     on the President's platform.
       The 42nd President of the United States, the Honorable 
     William J. Clinton, and the Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton 
     assembled on the President's platform.
       The 43rd President of the United States, the Honorable 
     George W. Bush, and Mrs. Laura Bush assembled on the 
     President's platform.
       The 44th President of the United States, the Honorable 
     Barack H. Obama, and Mrs. Michelle Obama assembled on the 
     President's platform.
       The Chief Justice of the United States, the Honorable John 
     G. Roberts, Jr., and the Associate Justices of the Supreme 
     Court assembled on the President's platform.
       The children of Vice President-Elect Harris and Mr. Douglas 
     Emhoff, Cole Mackin Emhoff and Ella Rose Emhoff, assembled on 
     the President's platform.
       The children of President-Elect Biden, Robert Hunter Biden 
     II and Ashley Blazer Biden and the grandchildren of the 
     President-elect, assembled on the President's platform.
       Accompanying the Vice President: The Secretary of the 
     Senate, the Honorable Julie Adams; and Chief Administrative 
     Officer of the House of Representatives, Catherine Szpindor, 
     assembled on the President's platform.
       The Vice President of the United States, the Honorable 
     Michael R. Pence, and Mrs. Karen Pence assembled on the 
     President's platform.
       Accompanying the Vice President-elect: the Chief of 
     Inaugural Ceremonies, Maria Miller Lohmeyer; the Acting 
     Deputy House Sergeant at Arms, Kevin Grubbs; and the Acting 
     Deputy Senate Sergeant at Arms, U.S. Capitol Police Officer, 
     PFC Eugene O. Goodman, assembled on the President's platform.
       The Vice President-elect of the United States, Kamala Devi 
     Harris, and Mr. Douglas Emhoff assembled on the President's 
     platform.
       The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies: 
     staff representative Alexandra Gourdikian Dicicco, 
     accompanying the House Republican leader, the Honorable Kevin 
     McCarthy; staff representative Bridget Brennan, accompanying 
     House majority leader, the Honorable Steny Hoyer, and Ms. 
     Yvette Lewis; staff representative Kate Knudsen, accompanying 
     Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable Nancy 
     Pelosi, and Mr. Paul Pelosi; staff representative Lindsey 
     Kerr, accompanying the Honorable Amy Klobuchar and Mr. John 
     Bessler; staff representative Stefanie Hagar Muchow, 
     accompanying Senate majority leader, the Honorable Mitch 
     McConnell, and the Honorable Elaine L. Chao; and staff 
     representative Rachelle Graves Schroeder, accompanying the 
     chairman of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural 
     Ceremonies, the Honorable Roy Blunt, and Mrs. Abigail 
     Blunt, assembled on the President's platform.
       Accompanying the President-elect, the staff director of the 
     Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies, 
     Fitzhugh Elder IV; the Acting House Sergeant at Arms, Tim 
     Blodgett; and the Acting Senate Sergeant at Arms, Jennifer 
     Hemmingway, assembled on the President's platform.
       The President-elect of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, 
     Jr., and Dr. Jill Biden assembled on the President's 
     platform.
       Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Vice President Pence, Mr. President-elect, 
     Madam Vice President-elect, Members of Congress and the 
     judicial branch, former Presidents and First Ladies, Vice 
     Presidents, leaders from abroad, and a whole bunch of Bidens, 
     America, welcome to the 59th Presidential Inauguration, where 
     in just a few moments Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will take 
     their solemn oaths.
       This ceremony is the culmination of 244 years of a 
     democracy. It is a moment when leaders, brought to this stage 
     by the will of the people, promise to be faithful to our 
     Constitution, to cherish it, and defend it. It is a moment 
     when they become, as we all should be, guardians of our 
     country.
       Have we become too jaded, too accustomed to the ritual of 
     the passing of the torch of democracy to truly appreciate 
     what a blessing and a privilege it is to witness this moment? 
     I think not.
       Two weeks ago, when an angry, violent mob staged an 
     insurrection and desecrated this temple of our democracy, it 
     awakened us to our responsibilities as Americans. This is the 
     day when our democracy picks itself up, brushes off the dust, 
     and does what America always does: It goes forward as a 
     nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for 
     all.
       (Applause.)
       This conveyance of a sacred trust between our leaders and 
     our people takes place in front of this shining Capitol dome 
     for a reason. When Abraham Lincoln gave his first inaugural 
     address in front of this Capitol, the dome was only partially 
     constructed, braced by ropes of steel. He promised he would 
     finish it. He was criticized for spending funds on it during 
     the Civil War. To those critics, he replied, ``If the people 
     see the Capitol going on, it is a sign we intend the Union 
     shall go on.'' And it did, and it will.
       Generations of Americans gave their lives to preserve our 
     Republic in this place. Great legislation to protect civil 
     rights and economic security and lead the world was debated 
     and crafted under this dome. Now, it falls on all of us--not 
     just the two leaders we are inaugurating today--to take up 
     the torch of our democracy, not as a weapon of political 
     arson but as an instrument for good.
       We pledge today never to take our democracy for granted as 
     we celebrate its remarkable strength. We celebrate its 
     resilience, its grit. We celebrate the ordinary people doing 
     extraordinary things for our Nation, the doctors and nurses 
     on the frontline of this pandemic, the officers in the 
     Capitol, a new generation never giving up hope for justice.
       We celebrate a new President, Joe Biden, who vows to 
     restore the soul of America and cross the river of our 
     divides to a higher plane.
       We celebrate our first African-American, first Asian-
     American, and first woman Vice President, Kamala Harris, who 
     stands on the shoulders of so many on this platform who have 
     forged the way to this day. When she takes the oath of 
     office, little girls and boys across the world will know that 
     anything and everything is possible.
       In the end, that is America: our democracy, a country of so 
     much good. Today, on these Capitol steps and before this 
     glorious field of flags, we rededicate ourselves to its 
     cause.
       Thank you.
       (Applause.)
       It is now my honor to introduce to you the Senator who has 
     worked with me and so many others to make this ceremony 
     possible, my friend and the chair of the Inaugural Committee, 
     Missouri Senator Roy Blunt.
       (Applause.)
       Mr. BLUNT. Well, I should have known when Senator Klobuchar 
     got involved, at least, there would be a touch of snow up 
     here this morning. Of all the things we had considered, I 
     don't think snow was on my agenda until I walked out the door 
     a moment ago.
       But thank you, Senator Klobuchar, and thanks to the other 
     members of the Joint Congressional Committee on the 
     Inauguration as we officially begin the 59th inaugural 
     ceremony. I also want to thank the joint committee staff and 
     our partners, particularly our security partners, for the way 
     they have dealt with unprecedented circumstances.
       When I chaired the inauguration 4 years ago, I shared 
     President Reagan's 1981 description of this event as 
     ``commonplace'' and ``miraculous.'' It is ``commonplace'' 
     because we have done it every 4 years since 1789; it is 
     miraculous because we have done it every 4 years since 1789. 
     Americans have celebrated this moment during war, during 
     depression, and now during pandemic.
       Once again, all three branches of our government come 
     together as the Constitution envisions. Once again, we renew 
     our commitment to our determined democracy, forging a more 
     perfect union.
       The theme for this inauguration, ``Our Determined 
     Democracy: Forging a more perfect union,'' was announced by 
     the joint committee before the election with the belief that 
     the United States can only fulfill its promise and set an 
     example for others if we are always working to be better than 
     we have been.
       The Constitution established that determined democracy with 
     its first three words, declaring the people as the source of 
     the government. The Articles of Confederation hadn't done 
     that. The Magna Carta hadn't done that. Only the Constitution 
     says the government exists because the people are the source 
     of the reason it exists.
       They immediately followed those first three words with the 
     words ``to form a more perfect union.'' The Founders did not 
     say to form a perfect union; they did not claim that in our 
     new country nothing would need to be improved. Fortunately, 
     they understood that always working to be better would be the 
     hallmark of a great democracy.
       The freedoms we have today and the Nation we have today is 
     not here just because it happened, and they aren't complete. 
     A great democracy is working through the successes and 
     failures of our history, striving to be better than it had 
     been. We are more than we have been, and we are less than 
     we hope to be. The assault on our Capitol at this very 
     place just 2 weeks ago reminds us that a government 
     designed to balance and check itself is both fragile and 
     resilient.
       During the last year, the pandemic challenged our free and 
     open society and called for extraordinary determination and 
     sacrifice and still challenges us today. Meeting that 
     challenge head on have been and are our healthcare workers, 
     scientists, first responders, essential frontline workers, 
     and so many others we depend on in so many ways.
       Today, we come to this moment; people all over the world, 
     as we are here, are watching

[[Page S77]]

     and will watch what we do here. Our government comes 
     together. The Congress and the courts join the transition of 
     Executive responsibility. One political party is more pleased 
     today and on every inaugural day than the other. But this is 
     not a moment of division; it is a moment of unification. A 
     new administration begins and brings with it a new beginning; 
     and with that, our great national debate goes forward, and a 
     determined democracy will continue to be essential in pursuit 
     of a more perfect union and a better future for all 
     Americans. What a privilege for me to join you today.
       Thank you.
       (Applause.)
       I am pleased to call to the podium a longtime friend of the 
     President-elect and his family, Father Leo O'Donovan, to lead 
     us in an invocation.
       Please stand if you are able and remain standing for the 
     national anthem and the pledge to our flag.
       Father O'DONOVAN. Gracious and merciful God, at this sacred 
     time, we come before you in need, indeed on our knees. But we 
     come still more with hope and with our eyes raised anew to 
     the vision of a more perfect union in our land, a union of 
     all our citizens to promote the general welfare and secure 
     the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
       We are a people of many races, creeds, and colors, national 
     backgrounds, cultures, and styles, now far more numerous and 
     on land much vaster than when Archbishop John Carroll wrote 
     his prayer for the inauguration of George Washington 232 
     years ago.
       Archbishop Carroll prayed that You, a Creator of all, would 
     ``assist with your Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the 
     President of these United States, that his administration may 
     be conducted in righteousness and be eminently useful to Your 
     people.''
       Today, we confess our past failures to live according to 
     our vision of equality, inclusion, and freedom for all; yet 
     we resolutely commit still more now to renewing the vision, 
     to caring for one another in word and deed, especially the 
     least fortunate among us, and so becoming a light for the 
     world.
       There is a power in each and every one of us that lives by 
     turning to every other one of us, a trust of the spirit to 
     cherish and care and stand by others and, above all, those 
     most in need. It is called love, and its path is to give ever 
     more of itself. Today, it is called American patriotism, 
     borne not of power and privilege, but of care for the common 
     good, with malice toward none and with charity for all.
       For our new President, we beg of you the wisdom Solomon 
     sought when he knelt before you and prayed for an 
     understanding heart so that ``I can govern your people . . 
     . and know the difference between right and wrong.''
       We trust in the counsel of the letter of James:
       In any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives 
     generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given 
     to you.
       Pope Francis has reminded us how important it is to dream 
     together. ``By ourselves,'' he wrote, ``we risk seeing 
     mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other 
     hand, are built together.''
       Be with us, Holy Mystery of Love, as we dream together. 
     Help us under our new President to reconcile the people of 
     our land, restore our dream, and invest it with peace and 
     justice and the joy that is the overflow of love.
       To the glory of Your name forever. Amen.
       (Performance of the National Anthem by Lady Gaga, 
     accompanied by the U.S. Marine Band.)
       (Fire Captain Andrea M. Hall, of the South Fulton Georgia 
     Fire and Rescue Department, president of the International 
     Association of Firefighters Local 3920 recited the Pledge of 
     Allegiance.)
       (Applause.)
       Ms. KLOBUCHAR. What you are all about to be part of, 
     America, is a historic moment of firsts.
       To administer the oath to our first African-American, our 
     first Asian-American, and our first woman Vice President, 
     Kamala Harris, it is my great privilege to welcome to the 
     inaugural stage the first Latina to ever serve on the Supreme 
     Court of the United States of America: Justice Sonia 
     Sotomayor.
       The Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, SONIA 
     SOTOMAYOR, administered to the Vice President-elect the oath 
     of office prescribed by the Constitution, which she repeated 
     as follows:
       I, KAMALA DEVI HARRIS, do solemnly swear that I will 
     support and defend the Constitution of the United States 
     against all enemies foreign and domestic; that I will bear 
     true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this 
     obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose 
     of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the 
     duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me 
     God.
       (Applause.)
       (Jennifer Lopez performed ``This Land Is Your Land'' and 
     ``America the Beautiful'' accompanied by the U.S. Marine 
     Band.)
       (Applause.)
       Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Well, that was great.
       The Sun is shining and, Mr. President-elect, this is the 
     first inauguration in the history of America where J-Lo was 
     the warmup act for Chief Justice Roberts.
       With that, it is now my distinct honor to introduce the 
     Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, John 
     Roberts, to administer the Presidential oath to the next 
     President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden.
       (Applause.)
       The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, JOHN G. ROBERTS, 
     JR., administered to the President-elect the oath of office 
     prescribed by the Constitution, which he repeated, as 
     follows:
       I, JOSEPH ROBINETTE BIDEN, JR., do solemnly swear that I 
     will faithfully execute the office of President of the United 
     States and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, 
     protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. So 
     help me God.
       The CHIEF JUSTICE. Congratulations, Mr. President.
       (Applause.)
       Ms. KLOBUCHAR. My fellow Americans--a moment we have all 
     been waiting for--it is now my great privilege and high honor 
     to be the first person to officially introduce the 46th 
     President of the United States, Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
       (Applause.)
       The PRESIDENT. Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President 
     Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, 
     Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow 
     Americans, this is America's day. This is democracy's day--a 
     day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve.
       Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested 
     anew, and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we 
     celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause, the 
     cause of democracy. The people--the will of the people--has 
     been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded.
       We have learned again that democracy is precious, democracy 
     is fragile, and at this hour, my friends, democracy has 
     prevailed.
       (Applause.)
       Now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago 
     violence sought to shake the Capitol's very foundation, we 
     come together as one Nation under God, indivisible, to carry 
     out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than 
     two centuries.
       As we look ahead in our uniquely American way--restless, 
     bold, optimistic--and set our sights on a nation we know we 
     can and we must be, I thank my predecessors of both parties 
     for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom 
     of my heart.
       (Applause.)
       I know the resilience of our Constitution and the 
     strength--the strength of our Nation--as does President 
     Carter, who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us 
     today, but whom we salute for his lifetime in service.
       I have just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots 
     have taken, the oath first sworn by George Washington. But 
     the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some 
     of us, but on all of us--on we, the people, who seek a more 
     perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. 
     Over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and at 
     war, we have come so far, but we still have far to go.
       We will press forward with speed and urgency for we have 
     much to do in this winter of peril and significant 
     possibilities--much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, 
     much to build, and much to gain. Few people in our Nation's 
     history have been more challenged or found a time more 
     challenging or difficult than the time we are in now. A once-
     in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country has taken 
     as many lives in 1 year as America lost in all of World War 
     II.
       Millions of jobs have been lost, and hundreds of thousands 
     of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some 400 
     years in the making, moves us. The dream of justice for all 
     will be deferred no longer.
       (Applause.)
       A cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that 
     can't be any more desperate or any more clear now--the rise 
     of political extremism, White supremacy, domestic terrorism 
     that we must confront and we will defeat.
       (Applause.)
       To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and 
     secure the future of America requires so much more than 
     words; it requires the most elusive of all things in a 
     democracy: unity. Unity.
       In another January on New Year's Day in 1863, Abraham 
     Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen 
     to paper, the President said:
       If my name ever goes down in history, it will be for this 
     act, and my whole soul is in it.
       My whole soul is in it today, on this January day. My whole 
     soul is in this: bringing America together, uniting our 
     people, uniting our Nation. I ask every American to join me 
     in this cause.
       (Applause.)
       Uniting to fight the foes we face--anger, resentment and 
     hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, 
     joblessness, and hopelessness--with unity, we can do great 
     things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put 
     people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in 
     safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward 
     work and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare secure 
     for all. We can deliver racial justice, and we can make 
     America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.
       I know, speaking of unity, it can sound to some like a 
     foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us 
     are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. 
     Our history has been a constant struggle between the American 
     ideal, that we all are created equal, and the harsh ugly 
     reality

[[Page S78]]

     that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn 
     us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never 
     assured.
       Through Civil War, the Great Depression, World War, 9/11, 
     and through struggle, sacrifice, and setbacks, our better 
     angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, 
     enough of us--enough of us--have come together to carry all 
     of us forward, and we can do that now.
       History, faith, and reason show the way, the way of unity. 
     We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. 
     We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join 
     forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature. For 
     without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury; 
     no progress, only exhausting outrage; and no nation, only a 
     state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and 
     challenge, and unity is the path forward, and we must meet 
     this moment as the United States of America.
       If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have 
     never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted 
     together. So, today, at this time, in this place, let's start 
     afresh--all of us. Let's begin to listen to one another 
     again, hear one another, see one another, and show respect to 
     one another. Politics doesn't have to be a raging fire 
     destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn't 
     have to be a cause for total war, and we must reject the 
     culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even 
     manufactured.
       (Applause.)
       My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. 
     America has to be better than this, and I believe America is 
     so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand in 
     the shadow of the Capitol dome, as was mentioned earlier, 
     completed amid the Civil War when the Union itself was 
     literally hanging in the balance; yet we endured. We 
     prevailed.
       Here we stand, looking out on the great Mall where Dr. King 
     spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago, at 
     another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block 
     brave women marching for the right to vote. Today, we mark 
     the swearing in of the first woman in American history 
     elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris. 
     Don't tell me things can't change.
       (Applause.)
       Here we stand, across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery, 
     where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest 
     in eternal peace. Here we stand, just days after a riotous 
     mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of 
     the people, to stop the work of our democracy, and to drive 
     us from this sacred ground. It did not happen. It will never 
     happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever--not ever.
       (Applause.)
       To all those who supported our campaign, I am humbled by 
     the faith you placed in us. To all those who did not support 
     us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a 
     measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. 
     That is democracy. That is America. The right to dissent 
     peaceably within the guardrails of our Republic is perhaps 
     this Nation's greatest strength; yet hear me clearly. 
     Disagreement must not lead to disunion, and I pledge this to 
     you: I will be a President for all Americans--all Americans.
       (Applause.)
       I promise you, I will fight as hard for those who did not 
     support me as for those who did.
       (Applause.)
       Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, 
     wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common 
     action of their love, defined by the common objects of their 
     love. What are the common objects we, as Americans, love that 
     define us as Americans? I think we know: opportunity, 
     security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, and, yes, the 
     truth.
       Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. 
     There is truth, and there are lies, lies told for power and 
     for profit. Each of us has a duty and a responsibility as 
     citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders--leaders 
     who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our 
     Nation--to defend the truth and defeat the lies.
       (Applause.)
       Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view 
     the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry 
     about their jobs. I understand, like my dad, they lay in bed 
     at night staring at the ceiling, wondering: Can I keep my 
     healthcare? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their 
     families and about what comes next. I promise you, I get it.
       But the answer is not to turn inward and to retreat into 
     competing factions, distrusting those who don't look like you 
     or worship the way you do or don't get their news from the 
     same sources you do. We must end this uncivil war that pits 
     red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus 
     liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of 
     hardening our hearts, if we show a little tolerance and 
     humility, and if we are willing to stand in the other 
     person's shoes, as my mom would say. Just for a moment, stand 
     in their shoes.
       Because here is the thing about life: There is no 
     accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days, you need a 
     hand. There are other days when we are called to lend a hand. 
     That is how it has to be. That is what we do for one 
     another. If we are this way, our country will be stronger, 
     more prosperous, more ready for the future, and we can 
     still disagree.
       My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we are going 
     to need each other. We need all our strength to persevere 
     through this dark winter. We are entering what may be the 
     toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside 
     politics and finally face this pandemic as one Nation--one 
     Nation.
       (Applause.)
       And I promise you this, as the Bible says: ``Weeping may 
     endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.'' We will 
     get through this together--together.
       (Applause.)
       Look, folks, all my colleagues I serve with in the House 
     and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is 
     watching, watching all of us today. So here is my message to 
     those beyond our borders: America has been tested, and we 
     have come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances 
     and engage with the world once again--not to meet yesterday's 
     challenges but today's and tomorrow's challenges--and we will 
     lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power 
     of our example.
       (Applause.)
       We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, 
     progress, and security.
       Look, you all know we have been through so much in this 
     Nation. In my first act as President, I would like to ask you 
     to join me in a moment of silent prayer. Remember all those 
     who we lost in this past year to the pandemic, those 400,000 
     fellow Americans--moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, 
     daughters, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. We will honor 
     them by becoming the people and the Nation we know we can and 
     should be. I ask you, let's say a silent prayer for those who 
     have lost their lives and those left behind and for our 
     country.
       (Moment of silence.)
       Amen.
       Folks, this is a time of testing. We face an attack on our 
     democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the 
     sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, and America's 
     role in the world. Any one of these would be enough to 
     challenge us in profound ways, but the fact is we face them 
     all at once, presenting this Nation with one of the gravest 
     responsibilities we have had.
       Now, we are going to be tested. Are we going to step up, 
     all of us? It is time for boldness, for there is so much to 
     do. And this is certain: I promise you, we will be judged, 
     you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our 
     era. Will we rise to the occasion is the question. Will we 
     master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our 
     obligations and pass along a new and better world to our 
     children?
       I believe we must. I am sure you do as well. I believe we 
     will. When we do, we will write the next great chapter in the 
     history of the United States of America--the American story--
     a story that might sound something like a song that means a 
     lot to me. It is called ``American Anthem.'' There is one 
     verse that stands out, at least for me, and it goes like 
     this:
       The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this 
     day, which shall be our legacy, what will our children say? 
     Let me know in my heart when my days are through, America, 
     America, I gave my best to you.
       Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story 
     of our great Nation. If we do this, then when our days are 
     through, our children and our children's children will say of 
     us: They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed 
     a broken land.
       My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a 
     sacred oath. Before God and all of you, I give you my word. I 
     will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I 
     will defend our democracy. I will defend America, and I will 
     give all--all of you--keep everything I do in your service, 
     thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal 
     interest but of public good. And together, we shall write an 
     American story of hope, not fear; of unity, not division; of 
     light, not darkness; a story of decency and dignity, love and 
     healing, greatness and goodness--may this be the story that 
     guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that 
     tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. 
     We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did 
     not die on our watch but thrived, that America secured 
     liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the 
     world. That is what we owe our forbearers, one another, and 
     generations to follow.
       So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasks of our 
     time sustained by faith, driven by conviction, and devoted to 
     one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May 
     God bless America, and may God protect our troops.
       Thank you, America.
       (Applause.)
       (Garth Brooks performed ``Amazing Grace.'')
       Mr. BLUNT. It is hard not to be reminded of President Obama 
     singing that same song at the Mother Emanuel Church, a song 
     that in our country is as close to both poetry and prayer as 
     you could possibly come, and we are going to finish with 
     those two things.
       Let me introduce Amanda Gorman, our Nation's first ever 
     National Youth Poet Laureate.
       Ms. GORMAN. Mr. President, Dr. Biden, Madam Vice President, 
     Mr. Emhoff, Americans, and the world:

     When day comes we ask ourselves,

[[Page S79]]

     where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
     The loss we carry,
     a sea we must wade
     We've braved the belly of the beast
     We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
     And the norms and notions
     of what just is
     Isn't always just-ice
     And yet the dawn is ours
     before we knew it
     Somehow we do it
     Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
     a nation that isn't broken
     but simply unfinished
     We the successors of a country and a time
     Where a skinny Black girl
     descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
     can dream of becoming president
     only to find herself reciting for one
     And yes we are far from polished
     far from pristine
     but that doesn't mean we are
     striving to form a union that is perfect
     We are striving to forge a union with purpose
     To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors,
     characters and
     conditions of man
     And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
     but what stands before us
     We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
     we must first put our differences aside
     We lay down our arms
     so we can reach out our arms
     to one another
     We seek harm to none and harmony for all
     Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
     That even as we grieved, we grew
     That even as we hurt, we hoped
     That even as we tired, we tried
     That we'll forever be tied together, victorious
     Not because we will never again know defeat
     but because we will never again sow division
     Scripture tells us to envision
     that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
     And no one shall make them afraid
     If we're to live up to our own time
     Then victory won't lie in the blade
     But in all the bridges we've made
     That is the promise to glade
     The hill we climb
     If only we dare
     It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,
     it's the past we step into and how we repair it
     We've seen a force that would shatter our nation
     rather than share it
     Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy
     And this effort very nearly succeeded
     But while democracy can be periodically delayed
     it can never be permanently defeated
     In this truth
     in this faith we trust
     For while we have our eyes on the future
     history has its eyes on us
     This is the era of just redemption
     We feared at its inception
     We did not feel prepared to be the heirs
     of such a terrifying hour
     but within it we found the power to author a new chapter
     To offer hope and laughter to ourselves
     So while once we asked,
     how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?
     Now we assert
     How could catastrophe possibly
     prevail over us?
     We will not march back to what was
     but move to what shall be
     A country that is bruised but whole,
     benevolent but bold,
     fierce and free
     We will not be turned around
     or interrupted by intimidation
     because we know our inaction and inertia
     will be the inheritance of the next generation
     Our blunders become their burdens
     But one thing is certain:
     If we merge mercy with might,
     and might with right,
     then love becomes our legacy
     and change our children's birthright
     So let us leave behind a country
     better than the one we were left with
     Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,
     we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one
     We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,
     we will rise from the windswept northeast
     where our forefathers first realized revolution
     We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern 
           states,
     we will rise from the sunbaked south
     We will rebuild, reconcile and recover
     and every known nook of our nation and
     every corner called our country,
     our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,
     battered and beautiful
     When day comes we step out of the shade,
     aflame and unafraid
     The new dawn blooms as we free it
     For there is always light,
     if only we're brave enough to see it
     If only we're brave enough to be it.

       (Applause.)
       Mr. BLUNT. Thank you, Amanda Gorman.
       Now, for our benediction, I am pleased to introduce the 
     Reverend Dr. Silvester Beaman, pastor of the Bethel African 
     Methodist Episcopal Church in Wilmington, DE, a friend of 
     President Biden for 30 years.
       Reverend BEAMAN. As a nation and people of faith gathered 
     in this historical moment, let us unite in prayer.
       God, we gather under the beauty of Your holiness and the 
     holiness of Your beauty. We seek Your face, Your smile, Your 
     warm embrace.
       We petition You once more in this celebration. We pray for 
     divine favor upon our President, Joseph R. Biden, and our 
     First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, and their family. We further ask 
     that You would extend the same favor upon our Vice President, 
     Kamala D. Harris, and our Second Gentleman, Doug Emhoff, and 
     their family. More than ever--more than ever--they and our 
     Nation need You.
       We need You, for in You we discover our common humanity. In 
     our common humanity, we will seek out the wounded and bind 
     their wounds. We will seek healing for those who are sick and 
     diseased. We will mourn our dead. We will befriend the 
     lonely, the least, and the left out. We will share our 
     abundance with those who are hungry. We will do justly to the 
     oppressed, acknowledge sin, and seek forgiveness, thus 
     grasping reconciliation.
       In discovering our humanity, we will seek the good in and 
     for all our neighbors. We will love the unlovable, remove the 
     stigma of the so-called untouchables. We will care for our 
     most vulnerable, our children, the elderly, emotionally 
     challenged, and the poor. We will seek rehabilitation beyond 
     correction. We will extend opportunity to those locked out of 
     opportunity. We will make friends of our enemies. We will 
     make friends of our enemies.
       People--Your people--shall no longer raise up weapons 
     against one another, who will rather use our resources for 
     the national good, and become a beacon of life and good will 
     to the world, and neither shall we learn hatred anymore. We 
     will lie down in peace and not make our neighbors afraid.
       In You, oh, God, we discover our humanity, and in our 
     humanity, we discover our commonness. Beyond the difference 
     of color, creed, origin, political party, ideology, 
     geography, and personal preferences, we will become greater 
     stewards of Your environment, preserving the land, reaping 
     from it a sustainable harvest, and securing its wonder and 
     miracle-giving power for generations to come.
       This is our benediction, that from these hallowed grounds 
     where slaves labored to build this shrine and citadel to 
     liberty and democracy, let us all acknowledge--from the 
     indigenous Native Americans to those who recently received 
     their citizenship, from the African American to those whose 
     foreparents came from Europe and every corner of the globe, 
     from the wealthy to those struggling to make it, from every 
     human being, regardless of their choices--that this is our 
     country.
       As such, teach us, oh, God. As such, teach us, oh, God, to 
     live in it, love in it, be healed in it, and reconcile to one 
     another in it, less we miss kingdom's goal.
       To Your glory, majesty, dominion, and power forever, 
     hallelujah. Glory hallelujah, in the strong Name of our 
     collective faith. Amen.
       (Performance of ``The Stars and Stripes Forever'' by the 
     U.S. Marine Band.)
       (Performance of ``Let Freedom Ring'' by the U.S. Marine 
     Band.)
       (The Inaugural Ceremony was concluded at 12:33 p.m.)

  Mr. SCHUMER. Thank you, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Booker). You are welcome.
  Mr. SCHUMER. A new politeness from the Chair.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

                          ____________________