[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 178 (Thursday, November 17, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H8556-H8557]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SPEAKER PELOSI'S FUTURE PLANS

  (Ms. PELOSI asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, as we gather here, we stand on sacred 
ground, the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives, the 
heart of American democracy.
  I will never forget the first time I saw the Capitol. It was on a 
cold January day, when I was 6 years old. My father, Thomas 
D'Alesandro, Jr., was about to be sworn in for his fifth term in 
Congress representing our beloved hometown of Baltimore.
  I was riding in the car with my brothers. They were thrilled and 
jumping up and down and saying to me: ``Nancy, look, there's the 
Capitol.'' And every time I would say: ``I don't see any capitals. Is 
it a capital A, a capital B, or a capital C?''
  Finally, I saw it, a stunning white building with a magnificent dome. 
I believed then, as I believe today, this is the most beautiful 
building in the world because of what it represents. The Capitol is a 
temple of our democracy, of our Constitution, of our highest ideals.
  On that day, I stood with my father on this floor as he took the 
sacred oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States 
against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

  All of us who have served in this House have taken the hallowed oath 
of office. It is the oath that stitches us together in a long and 
storied heritage. Colleagues who served before us are all our 
colleagues: colleagues like Abraham Lincoln, Daniel Webster, Shirley 
Chisholm, Patsy Mink, and our beloved John Lewis.
  Personally, it binds me as a colleague to my father, a proud New Deal 
Congressman and one of the earliest Italian Americans to serve in 
Congress.
  This is an oath we are duty-bound to keep, and it links us with the 
highest aspirations of the ages.
  In this room, our colleagues across history have abolished slavery; 
granted women the right to vote; established Social Security and 
Medicare; offered a hand to the weak, care to the sick, education to 
the young, and hope to the many.
  Indeed, it is here, under the gaze of our patriarch George Washington 
in the people's House that we have done the people's work.
  My colleagues, I stand before you as Speaker of the House, as a wife, 
a mother, a grandmother, a devout Catholic, a proud Democrat, and a 
patriotic American, a citizen of the greatest republic in the history 
of the world, which President Lincoln called the last, best hope of 
Earth.
  Indeed, in the words attributed to another of our colleagues, the 
legendary Daniel Webster: ``Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution of 
your country and the government established under it. . . .
  ``Miracles do not cluster. That which has happened but once in 6,000 
years cannot be expected to happen often.''
  Indeed, American democracy is majestic, but it is fragile. Many of us 
here have witnessed its fragility firsthand; tragically, in this 
Chamber. So democracy must be forever defended from forces that wish it 
harm.
  Last week, the American people spoke, and their voices were raised in 
defense of liberty, of the rule of law, and of democracy itself.
  With these elections, the people stood in the breach and repelled the 
assault on democracy. They resoundingly rejected violence and 
insurrection and in doing so, ``gave proof through the night that our 
flag was still there.''
  Now, we owe to the American people our very best to deliver on their 
faith, to forever reach for the more perfect union, the glorious 
horizon that our Founders promised.
  The questions before us in this Congress and this moment are urgent; 
questions about the ideals that this House is charged by the 
Constitution to preserve and protect: `` . . . establish justice, 
ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote 
the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves 
and our posterity.''
  Our posterity, our children. Babies born today will live into the 
next century, and our decisions will determine their future for 
generations to come.
  While we will have our disagreements on policy, we must remain fully 
committed to our shared, fundamental mission: To hold strong to our 
most treasured democratic ideals, to cherish the spark of divinity in 
each and every one of us, and to always put our country first.
  In their infinite wisdom, our Founders gave us their guidance: ``e 
pluribus unum'', ``out of many, one.''
  They could not have imagined how large our country would become or 
how different we would be from one another, but they knew we had to be 
united as one.
  We the people: One country, one destiny.
  It has been with great pride that, in my 35 years in the House, I 
have seen this body grow more reflective of our great Nation, our 
beautiful Nation.
  When I came to the Congress in 1987, there were 12 Democratic women. 
Now, there are over 90 and we want more.
  The new members of our Democratic Caucus will be about 75 percent 
women, people of color, and LGBTQ. We have brought more voices to the 
decisionmaking table. When I entered leadership in 2002, there were 
eight of us. Today, there are 17 members of leadership.
  When I first came to the floor at 6 years old, never would I have 
thought that some day I would go from homemaker to House Speaker. In 
fact, I never intended to run for public office.
  Mommy and Daddy taught us through their example that public service 
is a noble calling and that we all have a responsibility to help 
others. In our family, my brother, Tommy, then became mayor of 
Baltimore also.
  It has been my privilege to play a part in forging extraordinary 
progress

[[Page H8557]]

for the American people. I have enjoyed working with three Presidents, 
achieving historic investments in clean energy with President George 
Bush; transformative healthcare reform with President Barack Obama; and 
forging the future, from infrastructure to healthcare to climate action 
with President Joe Biden.
  Now, we must move boldly into the future, grounded by the principles 
that have propelled us this far and open to fresh possibilities for the 
future.
  Scripture teaches us that: ``For everything there is a season, and a 
time for every purpose under Heaven.''
  My friends, no matter what title my colleagues have bestowed upon 
me--Speaker, Leader, Whip--there is no greater official honor for me 
than to stand on this floor and to speak for the people of San 
Francisco.
  This I will continue to do as a Member of the House, speaking for the 
people of San Francisco, serving the great State of California, and 
defending our Constitution.
  With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek reelection to 
Democratic leadership in the next Congress.
  For me, the hour has come for a new generation to lead the Democratic 
Caucus that I so deeply respect, and I am grateful that so many are 
ready and willing to shoulder this awesome responsibility.
  Madam Speaker, standing here today, I am endlessly grateful for all 
of life's blessings.
  For my Democratic colleagues, whose courage and commitment--with the 
support of your families--have made many of these accomplishments 
possible. That could not have been done without you.
  For my dear husband, Paul, who has been my beloved partner in life 
and my pillar of support, thank you. We are all grateful for all of the 
prayers and well-wishes as he continues his recovery. Thank you so 
much.
  For our darling children: Nancy Corrine, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, 
and Alexandra; and our grandchildren: Alexandra and Madeleine; Liam, 
Sean and Ryan; Paul and Thomas; Bella and Octavio, they are the joys of 
our lives of whom we are so very, very proud, and they are a comfort to 
us at this time.
  And for my brilliant, dedicated, and patriotic staff under the 
leadership of Terri McCullough, working together, the finest group of 
public servants the House has ever known, thank you all so much.
  And, again, for those who have sent me here, for the people of San 
Francisco, for entrusting me with the high honor of being their voice 
in Congress.
  In this continued work, I will strive to honor the call of the patron 
saint of our city, Saint Francis: ``Lord, make me an instrument of thy 
peace.''
  In this House, we begin each day with a prayer and a pledge to the 
flag. And every day I am in awe of the majestic miracle that is 
American democracy.
  As we participate in the hallmark of our Republic--the peaceful, 
orderly transition from one Congress to the next--let us consider the 
words of, again, President Lincoln, spoken during one of America's 
darkest hours.
  He called upon us to come together, to ``swell the chorus of the 
Union when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels 
of our nature.''
  That, again, is the task at hand.
  A new day is dawning on the horizon, and I look forward and always 
forward to the unfolding story of our Nation; a story of light and 
love, of patriotism and progress, of many becoming one, and always an 
unfinished mission to make the dreams of today the reality of tomorrow.
  Thank you all. May God bless you and your families, and may God 
continue to bless our veterans and the United States of America. Thank 
you all so much.

                          ____________________