[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 5 (Friday, January 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H35-H39]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page H35]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

                        House of Representatives

  The House met at noon, and was called to order by the Clerk.
  The Chaplain, the Reverend Margaret Grun Kibben, offered the 
following prayer:
  Our hope is in the Lord, not in rulers or principalities, parties or 
persons. And we are keenly aware, especially on this day, as the 
psalmist has said, that their plans come to nothing. You, O Lord, 
thwart the plans of nations. You thwart the purposes of the people.
  On this day of profound remembrance, may we lean on the strength to 
be found only in You. Come alongside us and show Your mercy on the 
American people as they and we approach today with a host of feelings:
  The abiding emotional and spiritual unease stemming from the memory 
of inconceivable unrest in these Chambers 2 years ago;
  The exhausting frustration over the prolonged impasse in the 
deliberations that obscures the way ahead;
  The fear that resides in the hearts of families and staffers, 
communities and constituents, who are affected by the lack of resources 
and security while this legislative body remains unseated.
  We wait in hope for You, O God, for You are our help and shield. In 
You, we will find reason to rejoice, for despite all that makes today, 
today, we trust in You.
  May Your unfailing love rest upon us, for it is in Your sovereign 
name we pray.
  Amen.


                              the journal

  The CLERK. The Chair has examined the Journal of the last day's 
proceedings and announces to the House the approval thereof.
  Representatives-elect are invited to join in the Pledge of 
Allegiance.


                          pledge of allegiance

  The CLERK led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows:

       I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of 
     America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation 
     under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

                             point of order

  Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Clerk, I make a point of order that there is not 
a quorum present.
  The CLERK. The gentlewoman makes a point of order that a quorum is 
not present. The Chair will count for a quorum. The Chair counts 275 
Members present. A quorum is present.
  The question recurs upon the election of a Speaker. The tellers will 
please come forward and take their seats.
  The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr.  Mike 
Garcia).
  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Kevin 
McCarthy for Speaker of the House.
  While I rise to that end, I think it is critically important to note 
that this is actually not about Kevin McCarthy.
  Kevin is a good man. He is a man of God. He is a patriot. He is a 
leader who has led this Conference to our current majority over the 
last 4 years.
  Those things are unassailable, but this isn't about him. This isn't 
about Kevin McCarthy.
  I put no single human being on a pedestal and certainly not before 
God and not before the gift that He has blessed us with, with this 
grand experiment that we call the United States of America.
  This isn't about Kevin McCarthy, but the matters before us are of 
stupendous magnitude.
  A federal republic such as ours, it is a dynamically unstable one. It 
is a wobbly top that is just a few mere revolutions away from falling 
down at any given moment except for the exertions of men and women who 
are willing to serve her with pure and selfless intent, just as our 
Founding Fathers did, just as Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan did, 
with pure and selfless intent.
  As our Nation today and over the last 2 years has seen, we are 
certainly a wobbly top.
  Today, we have a southern border that is wide open. As a result of 
that, and as a result of our executive branch policies, today, 200 
fellow Americans will die of fentanyl poisoning, and roughly 5,000 
illegal immigrants will be victims of human smuggling.
  Today, our Nation's debt is $31 trillion, and that will go up just 
this day alone by roughly $2.1 billion.
  Today, we are seeing one of the worst crime spikes in our Nation's 
history. Our law enforcement is direly underfunded, and they are 
hurting. On that topic, I want to thank our law enforcement.
  I want to especially thank the Capitol Hill police for what they do. 
We thank them not only for what they have done--our police also serve 
with that pure and selfless intent. They do it every day, and we should 
thank them every day.
  Today, the Chinese Communist Party will orchestrate the theft of 
another $1 billion of intellectual property from American companies. 
The Chinese Communist Party is still today not being held accountable 
for the deaths of millions of people around this planet, deaths as a 
result of genocide within their borders and deaths as a result of COVID 
outside them. We are today losing on multiple fronts against China.
  So, today isn't about a single human being. It is not about Kevin 
McCarthy. It is about the 13 Gold Star families who still suffer today 
mercilessly without closure and without accountability after the 
unnecessary loss of their loved ones in Afghanistan over a year ago.

                              {time}  1215

  Speaking of our military, today, roughly 40 Active Duty and veterans 
of our military will commit suicide.

[[Page H36]]

These, Madam Clerk, are the matters of stupendous magnitude.
  This isn't about a man in a suit in the Halls of Congress. It is 
about 330 million Americans. It is about the preservation of the 
Constitution and the liberties guaranteed therein. It is about the 246 
years of pride and providence that we have enjoyed as a Nation. Above 
all things, it is about ensuring that this beautiful journey exists for 
generations to come.
  That doesn't happen if we don't address and rise above the multiple 
existential crises that we are experiencing today. We must be 
victorious in this cause, and victory begins with allowing this body to 
get to work. It begins today.
  Now, winning isn't easy, okay? Winning isn't easy, but winning is 
necessary. Of all the folks in this Chamber, I know that winning isn't 
easy. I represent a district where only 29 percent of my voters are 
registered in the same party as I am. But I engage and I communicate 
with the other 71 percent because it is the only way that we all win. 
In the end, it is the only way that the Nation wins. It ain't easy, but 
it is necessary, but the noble wins, the most important wins, never are 
easy.
  We take on these missions just as passionately as Colonel Chamberlain 
did at Little Round Top in Gettysburg. We must hold this line because 
if we don't hold this line, the entire Union is at stake. We don't hold 
the majority for bragging rights. We hold the majority to govern 
responsibly. We hold the majority to protect the American people, to 
coalesce around the foundational constitutional principles that I have 
been willing to give my life to defend since the age of 18.
  To my Democrat colleagues across the aisle, I want to make sure you 
understand and make no mistake, we are, in fact, on the verge of a very 
important victory, a victory for the people, a victory by the people, 
and most importantly, a victory for the future of our Nation.
  It dawns on me as I look across the aisle after being here for nearly 
3 years, that I haven't had the pleasure of meeting many of you because 
you have chosen to stay home and not vote here in person, electing 
instead to proxy vote.
  The CLERK. The Member-elect is reminded to direct his remarks to the 
Chair.
  Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California. It is a pleasure to see 212 of you 
here today. It is also a pleasure to see the end of proxy voting.
  Let me end with this: I am extremely proud of my colleagues on this 
side of the aisle. The last 4 days haven't been ideal. They have been 
difficult.
  But I do see fighters. I see patriots who love this country and want 
to make things better. I see folks who are willing to do whatever is 
necessary to ensure that we better serve the Nation. I see men and 
women who are willing to serve her with that pure and selfless intent, 
even if that service means undergoing the dentistry that we have 
experienced over the last 4 days and in the wake of the last 20 
meetings over the last 2 months.
  Let me be clear. These are not concessions to the rules. These are a 
critical evolution of the rules for the good of the Nation. I am proud 
that we, as a party, have decided and have been willing to extend the 
time aperture so that we can get to a solution, a product of compromise 
but also a product that will fix the ills induced by the Democrat 
majority over the last 4 years. This product will hopefully end the 
multifaceted legacy of reckless and toxic behavior in the swamp.
  So this isn't about Kevin McCarthy. It is not about the 434 Members 
in this Chamber. It is about the 330 million Americans across this 
beautiful land, and it is about our Nation's future. The person who 
will lead us on that journey will be Kevin McCarthy. He has earned this 
position, and I have the honor of nominating him at the direction of 
the Republican Conference as the Speaker of the House of the 118th 
Congress.
  God bless the United States.
  The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from South Carolina 
(Mr. Clyburn).
  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate my friend, colleague, 
and leader of the House Democratic Caucus, Hakeem Jeffries, as Speaker.
  Madam Clerk, I want to begin by thanking you for your contribution to 
maintaining the dignity and honor of this august body.
  The eyes of the country are on us today. Let us consider what they 
will remember. I often refer to this Hall as America's classroom. The 
proceedings we undertake in this body and our actions should serve as 
lessons for those who may be watching and/or listening.
  Hopefully, that which they see and hear will help them gain 
understanding and appreciation for the greatness of America and the 
goodness of the American people. This body has a unique role in this 
government. What we do and how we do it will determine whether our 
pursuit toward a more perfect Union can continue in earnest.
  No day in recent history underscores the importance of that pursuit 
more than January 6, 2021. Exactly 2 years ago today, our resolve was 
tested when a violent mob of insurrectionists attacked our Capitol, 
threatened the integrity of this democracy, and undermined our 
Constitution. The greatness of this country and the resiliency of our 
democracy were put in peril, but we survived.
  The preamble of the Constitution explains that the document was 
established, in part, to ``secure the blessings of liberty'' not just 
for ourselves but also to our posterity. In this body, we are tasked 
with protecting our Nation's hard-earned principles of liberty, 
justice, and freedom for all. Every 2 years, the American people 
evaluate our stewardship and render a verdict.
  Last November, they invested their time and resources going to the 
polls and casting their votes. They expect and should get a just return 
on their investment. For many, maybe most Americans, this is the only 
investment they will ever make to help preserve the greatness of this 
country. For the first time in over 200 years, after 11 rounds of 
voting, we are unable to organize and begin to work on behalf of those 
who elected us to serve.

  Democrats are offering a candidate for Speaker, Hakeem Jeffries, who 
is not just prepared to lead but committed to preserving this democracy 
and enhancing this august body.
  Madam Clerk, there is some dispute among historians as to whether 
Alexis de Tocqueville said this, but I consider it to be true 
regardless. De Tocqueville is credited in some quarters with having 
said: America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be 
good, America will cease to be great.
  The greatness of America lies in the goodness that exists within the 
American people. Today, the greatness of our Nation hangs in the 
balance because the goodness of the American people is at stake.
  We Democrats are offering the people of America, through this unique 
body, a good man who has the best interests of the American people at 
heart and is committed to preserving the fundamental principles that 
make this country great.
  Madam Clerk, I am honored to carry out the directive of the House 
Democratic Caucus and submit to this august body the name of Hakeem 
Jeffries to be Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
  The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Gaetz).
  Mr. GAETZ. Madam Clerk, I rise to submit a name for the nomination of 
the Speaker of the House.
  Madam Clerk, my colleague from California, Mr. Garcia, knows the 
incredibly high regard I hold him in. He is a patriot. I deeply, deeply 
admire him. But I must take some exception with some of the comments he 
made in his nomination of Mr. McCarthy.
  First, he said that Mr. McCarthy has earned the position. You only 
earn the position of Speaker of the House if you can get the votes. Mr. 
McCarthy doesn't have the votes today, he will not have the votes 
tomorrow, and he will not have the votes next week, next month, next 
year.
  So one must wonder, Madam Clerk, is this an exercise in vanity for 
someone who has done the math, taken the counts, and is putting this 
institution through something that absolutely is avoidable?
  My colleague, Mr. Garcia, did not say this, but many of my other 
Republican colleagues have. They believe that Mr. McCarthy has earned 
the position of Speaker of the House because he raised half a billion 
dollars to get Republicans elected.

[[Page H37]]

  The CLERK. Members-elect are reminded not to engage in personalities 
against other Members-elect of the House.
  Mr. GAETZ. Madam Clerk, several believe that one earns the position 
of Speaker by raising enormous sums of money, and there is no doubt 
that the individual that was nominated by Mr. Garcia is the LeBron 
James of special interest fundraising in this town. There is nobody 
better.
  But I would suggest that there are qualifications for Speaker that 
are far more important and there are attributes that are far more 
important.   Jim Jordan has those, and I am submitting his name for 
nomination at this time.
  I heard my colleague from California, Mr. Garcia, say that we seek 
pure, selfless intent, and I could not agree more with that assessment. 
Mr. Jordan, indeed, is reflective of pure, selfless intent. I don't 
know that the same can be said for the Republican alternative.
  Let's start with purity. Many of you have seen the reports that there 
are negotiations to determine whether or not on this side of the aisle 
there can be a deal, a meeting of the minds, a grand bargain that would 
allow us to proceed with the Speakership.

                              {time}  1230

  I want all of my colleagues to know, regardless of your perspective 
on me, how impure some of those negotiations have gone; and I want the 
country to know.
  The principal goal of the people who are objecting to Mr. McCarthy on 
the Republican side is that we don't believe the rules of this place 
unlock the potential of all of the Members to be able to cast votes on 
individual bills and to offer amendments on appropriations acts.
  We are also concerned about spending that has ballooned our debt and 
borrowed against the future generations of American citizens.
  Mr. McCarthy said, well, goodness--to the objectors--why do you want 
to be on the Oversight and Judiciary Committees, and you never submit 
your names to be on the Rules Committee or the Appropriations 
Committee; and so, gosh, if you will get a list of folks who are 
willing to come early on fly-in days for Rules, and folks who are 
willing to take on the extra burden of our appropriators who work so 
hard, then I will certainly work to do that. So we endeavored in good 
faith, in pure good faith, to create that list.
  Then what did Mr. McCarthy do? He went out to the media and came to 
other members of the Conference and said, see, they just want jobs for 
themselves. That is not pure.
  Selflessness. Selflessness is not selling shares of yourself to the 
lobby corps and then doing their bidding at the expense of the American 
people.
  But there certainly is intent, and it is an intent driven almost 
exclusively by personal ambition, and that ambition is paralyzing the 
House now.
  Madam Clerk, at this time, there is great trust in Mr. Jordan, and 
that is why I am nominating him, and there is insufficient trust in 
Kevin McCarthy.
  There are some who have been objecting to Mr. McCarthy, who are 
working on perhaps changes to the rules, changes to circumstances that 
would convert the Speakership from the great, awesome, powerful 
position it is now to more of a ceremonial position, almost akin to the 
Speaker in the British House of Commons.
  I referred to it previously as a straitjacket that some of us were 
trying to construct with better rules and better personnel because we 
do not trust Mr. McCarthy with power because we know who he will use it 
for, and we are concerned it will not be for the American people.
  We trust   Jim Jordan, I nominate him, and I am going to vote for 
him.
  The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. 
Boebert).
  Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Clerk, I rise to enter a name for nomination for 
Speaker.
  Once again, I just stand here today to nominate Kevin Hern, the 
chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus in the 
Republican Conference who, unanimously, was elected as chairman whom, I 
believe, can unite this Republican Conference and put forward the 
agenda that we all promised to work hard on, and serve our American 
people to the best of our abilities with.
  I believe that Kevin Hern will be a fighter for our national debt. I 
get texts on a regular basis at how inflation is hurting families, how 
grocery prices are skyrocketing continuously. He has crafted a budget 
that balances and will bring that to the floor to help the American 
people.
  Madam Clerk, I nominate Kevin Hern as Speaker.
  The CLERK. 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. 15]

                             McCARTHY--213

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Foxx
     Franklin, C. Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Murphy
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Santos
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stewart
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                             JEFFRIES--211

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bowman
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (NC)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green (TX)
     Grijalva
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson (NC)
     Jackson Lee
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Mullin

[[Page H38]]


     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Peltola
     Perez
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                               JORDAN--4

     Biggs
     Gaetz
     Good (VA)
     Harris

                                HERN--3

     Boebert
     Crane
     Rosendale

                        ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0

                             NOT VOTING--3

     Buck
     Hunt
     Trone

                              {time}  1356

  The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number 
of votes cast is 431, of which the Honorable Kevin McCarthy of the 
State of California has received 213, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of 
the State of New York has received 211, the Honorable   Jim Jordan of 
the State of Ohio has received 4, the Honorable Kevin Hern of the State 
of Oklahoma has received 3.
  No Member-elect having received a majority of the votes cast, a 
Speaker has not been elected.
  The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Comer).
  Mr. COMER. Madam Clerk, I rise on behalf of the Republican Party to 
nominate Kevin McCarthy for Speaker of the 118th Congress.
  For the past 2 years, one-party Democrat rule has resulted in 
multiple crises that are harming Americans without any oversight or 
accountability from this body. Americans are facing historic inflation, 
skyrocketing energy costs, the worst border crisis in American history, 
and surging fentanyl overdoses.
  One of the reasons is that there has been no congressional oversight. 
There is no sense of urgency from this White House or the bureaucrats 
that populate this town to move. I want to talk about that. Oversight 
of our tax dollars is our responsibility.
  We have all heard reports of hundreds of millions of dollars of 
potential waste and fraud in the unemployment insurance programs in all 
50 States.
  We have all heard reports of misuse of hundreds of millions of 
dollars of the stimulus money, of PPP loan funds, yet there has not 
been a single hearing in the House Oversight Committee about this.
  This border crisis, we have made several trips on this side of the 
aisle to the border. We have listened to the Border Patrol agents. 
Their message is loud and clear. Under President Biden, the Border 
Patrol has become the welcoming committee. They are begging for help to 
do their job.
  Law enforcement officers in all 50 States are begging Congress to 
force this administration to secure the border, to do something about 
the fentanyl crisis that plagues every community in every State in our 
great Nation.
  Americans watched in dismay the debacle in Afghanistan, and Americans 
were left with many questions. How much equipment was left behind for 
the Taliban? How many Americans were left behind?
  The origination of COVID-19--we all know someone personally who lost 
their life during COVID-19. They deserve answers to what really 
happened in that lab in Wuhan, China.
  Those of us who have kids in the public school system can testify 
that our kids have lost a year of their education because of the forced 
virtual learning that so many of our schools put our children through 
during the COVID pandemic.

                              {time}  1400

  Congress ran the debt up at least $3 trillion in the name of COVID-
19. Yet, as I mentioned earlier, there has not been a single hearing in 
the Oversight Committee to deal with potential waste, fraud, or abuse 
of the COVID funds, not a single hearing.
  We all know, despite what Dr. Fauci said, American tax dollars were 
sent through EcoHealth Alliance to the Wuhan lab in China for gain-of-
function research, yet Dr. Fauci hasn't come before Congress in the 
House of Representatives.
  The American people deserve answers on COVID-19, and Speaker Kevin 
McCarthy has given the Republican majority the tools necessary to make 
that possible.
  The Democrats have spent the past 6 years investigating a President 
for potential wrongdoing in Ukraine and Russia. Let me say this loud 
and clear: The Republicans will also investigate a President for 
potential wrongdoing in Ukraine and Russia as well as China.
  The American people have a lot of questions for Dr. Fauci, 
Christopher Wray, Merrick Garland, and Secretary Mayorkas. We can't ask 
those questions until we get organized and elect our Speaker.
  The role of the Oversight Committee under Speaker Pelosi was a full-
time committee to harass the previous President, a committee to 
advocate for wedge social issues--upon which the Oversight Committee 
had absolutely no jurisdiction--a committee totally uninterested in the 
American taxpayer.
  In a Republican majority under Speaker Kevin McCarthy and many of my 
friends embedded in these negotiations, the House Oversight Committee 
with strong Members like Byron Donalds and   Andy Biggs and   Jim 
Jordan will return to its original mission of identifying waste, fraud, 
abuse, and mismanagement in the Federal Government and holding 
unelected bureaucrats accountable.
  In a Republican majority, under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the forgotten 
working men's and women's voices will finally be heard and represented.
  In a Republican majority under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, this broken 
Congress will finally be fixed, we will return to regular order, and we 
will drag those Senators kicking and screaming along with us every step 
of the way.
  We will return to regular order. We will get the backs of the 
American taxpayers. This is the people's House. Let's get to work.
  Madam Clerk, I am proud to nominate Kevin McCarthy to be the next 
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
  The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. 
Escobar).
  Ms. ESCOBAR. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate a great leader, a 
unifier, not a divider, Hakeem Jeffries, for Speaker of the United 
States House of Representatives.
  We are on day 4, the 13th vote, and House Democrats continue to stand 
united with Hakeem Jeffries, with him and for him, because he is a 
uniter, not a divider, and a positive force of nature.
  Two days ago, during the fourth, fifth, maybe the sixth roll call, a 
nominator claimed this process should not be considered dysfunction. 
Madam Clerk, their process didn't begin this week. They have had months 
to figure this out, and Americans should have profound concerns about 
what this portends.
  As we gather here in this Chamber on this solemn day, the second 
anniversary of January 6, when members of law enforcement were under 
siege, when there was an attempted coup, an insurrection that will live 
in infamy, what we lived through was an assault on our Republic and on 
our democracy from within.
  On that day, when my colleagues and I were trapped in this gallery, 
the terrorists who assaulted our police officers could be heard banging 
on these doors, breaking these windows, and they were here to prevent 
the certification of a free and fair election.
  I shudder to think what a Republican majority's inability to govern 
would have meant on that day and what it could mean in the future for 
those of us who believe in defending our democracy abroad, and now, 
more than ever, here at home.
  On this painful anniversary, thankfully, the Honorable Hakeem 
Jeffries made sure that we came together to mark the moment, honor our 
law enforcement, recognize the lives lost as a

[[Page H39]]

result of that day, honor the families and the survivors, and ensure 
that we recommit to our Republic and our democracy. That is the kind of 
Speaker that our Nation needs.
  We are now 4 days into what should be the 118th Congress, and the 
House of Representatives has no committees, no rules, no classified 
briefings, no Members who have taken their oaths to serve our country. 
There are no debates happening on this floor about addressing the 
challenges we face at home or around the globe, no votes on legislation 
to tackle the challenges facing the American people.

  Madam Clerk, they told the American people they wanted to win the 
majority to fight inflation. The only thing they are fighting is each 
other. These 4 days have tested House Republicans' ability to govern, 
and they have failed.
  With Hakeem Jeffries as our Speaker, Congress can continue to deliver 
commonsense, bipartisan solutions for the American people. Instead, 
what we have seen unfold before our very eyes is exactly what is in 
store for the country for the next 2 years under Republican control. 
This should be deeply concerning to the American people who expect us 
to do our jobs and fulfill even the most fundamental functions of this 
institution like voting on the debt ceiling to fund expenditures we 
have already made. What if this happens then?
  What if we default on our debts because of the Republican majority's 
inability to govern?
  What impact will that have on our economy or on the global economy?
  In less than 9 months, in September, we have a vote to fund the 
government, to pay for our military, Social Security, Medicare, and 
other obligations. What happens on September 30 when government funding 
runs out and they are in charge?
  With Hakeem Jeffries as our Speaker, we can continue to advance an 
agenda that puts people over politics, just as we did in the 117th 
Congress with a majority as slim as theirs.
  ``Es un gran honor nominar a mi amigo.''
  ``It is a great honor to nominate my friend.''
  Madam Clerk, as co-chair of the House Democratic Policy and 
Communications Committee and in accordance with the vote of the House 
Democratic Caucus, I am honored to present for election to the office 
of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress 
the name of a man of integrity and intellect, who is bold and 
brilliant, and, most importantly, a man who leads with love, the 
Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Representative from the State of New York.
  The CLERK. 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. 16]

                             McCARTHY--214

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     D'Esposito
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Ellzey
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Foxx
     Franklin, C. Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Granger
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     James
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kelly (PA)
     Kiggans (VA)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     LaLota
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lawler
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     Miller-Meeks
     Mills
     Molinaro
     Moolenaar
     Mooney
     Moore (AL)
     Moore (UT)
     Moran
     Murphy
     Nehls
     Newhouse
     Norman
     Nunn (IA)
     Obernolte
     Ogles
     Owens
     Palmer
     Pence
     Perry
     Pfluger
     Posey
     Reschenthaler
     Rodgers (WA)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rose
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Rutherford
     Salazar
     Santos
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Spartz
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     Stewart
     Strong
     Tenney
     Thompson (PA)
     Tiffany
     Timmons
     Turner
     Valadao
     Van Drew
     Van Duyne
     Van Orden
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Waltz
     Weber (TX)
     Webster (FL)
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Williams (NY)
     Williams (TX)
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                             JEFFRIES--212

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bowman
     Boyle (PA)
     Brown
     Brownley
     Budzinski
     Bush
     Caraveo
     Carbajal
     Cardenas
     Carson
     Carter (LA)
     Cartwright
     Casar
     Case
     Casten
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Cherfilus-McCormick
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clark (MA)
     Clarke (NY)
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Correa
     Costa
     Courtney
     Craig
     Crockett
     Crow
     Cuellar
     Davids (KS)
     Davis (IL)
     Davis (NC)
     Dean (PA)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     Deluzio
     DeSaulnier
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Escobar
     Eshoo
     Espaillat
     Evans
     Fletcher
     Foster
     Foushee
     Frankel, Lois
     Frost
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Garcia (IL)
     Garcia (TX)
     Garcia, Robert
     Golden (ME)
     Goldman (NY)
     Gomez
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Gottheimer
     Green (TX)
     Grijalva
     Harder (CA)
     Hayes
     Higgins (NY)
     Himes
     Horsford
     Houlahan
     Hoyer
     Hoyle (OR)
     Huffman
     Ivey
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson (NC)
     Jackson Lee
     Jacobs
     Jayapal
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Kamlager-Dove
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Khanna
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kim (NJ)
     Krishnamoorthi
     Kuster
     Landsman
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Lee (NV)
     Lee (PA)
     Leger Fernandez
     Levin
     Lieu
     Lofgren
     Lynch
     Magaziner
     Manning
     Matsui
     McBath
     McCollum
     McGarvey
     McGovern
     Meeks
     Menendez
     Meng
     Mfume
     Moore (WI)
     Morelle
     Moskowitz
     Moulton
     Mrvan
     Mullin
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Neguse
     Nickel
     Norcross
     Ocasio-Cortez
     Omar
     Pallone
     Panetta
     Pappas
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Peltola
     Perez
     Peters
     Pettersen
     Phillips
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Porter
     Pressley
     Quigley
     Ramirez
     Raskin
     Ross
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Ryan
     Salinas
     Sanchez
     Sarbanes
     Scanlon
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schneider
     Scholten
     Schrier
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sherrill
     Slotkin
     Smith (WA)
     Sorensen
     Soto
     Spanberger
     Stansbury
     Stanton
     Stevens
     Strickland
     Swalwell
     Sykes
     Takano
     Thanedar
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Tlaib
     Tokuda
     Tonko
     Torres (CA)
     Torres (NY)
     Trahan
     Trone
     Underwood
     Vargas
     Vasquez
     Veasey
     Velazquez
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watson Coleman
     Wexton
     Wild
     Williams (GA)
     Wilson (FL)

                               JORDAN--6

     Biggs
     Boebert
     Crane
     Gaetz
     Good (VA)
     Rosendale

                        ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0

                             NOT VOTING--2

       
     Buck
       
     Hunt

                              {time}  1521

  The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number 
of votes cast is 432, of which the Honorable Kevin McCarthy of the 
State of California has received 214, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of 
the State of New York has received 212, the Honorable   Jim Jordan of 
the State of Ohio has received 6.
  No Member-elect having received a majority of the votes cast, a 
Speaker has not been elected.

                          ____________________