[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 6 (Friday, January 6, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H45-H48]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0050
                         SWEARING IN OF SPEAKER

  The Sergeant at Arms announced the Speaker-elect of the House of 
Representatives of the 118th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by 
the Committee of Escort.
  Mr. JEFFRIES. Madam Clerk, Whip Clark, distinguished members of the 
House Democratic Caucus and the House Republican Conference, it is my 
high honor and distinct privilege to finally be able to welcome all of 
you to the 118th Congress.
  Let me just begin by thanking my good friend Pete Aguilar for his 
very generous words of introduction and for placing my name into 
nomination a total of nine times.
  I thank my other colleagues from the Democratic Caucus for their 
generous words of nomination, as well:  Jim Clyburn, Katherine Clark, 
Ted Lieu, Dean Phillips,   Joe Neguse, and Veronica Escobar.
  I thank my colleagues and my friends in the House Democratic Caucus 
for their perseverance, for their strength, for their friendship, for 
their unanimity of purpose, and for their unanimous support. I want to 
say that that showing of strength is not for any one particular 
individual. It will be a showing of strength throughout the 118th 
Congress, unanimity of purpose on behalf of the American people.

                              {time}  0100

  Before I proceed any further, let me begin by acknowledging the 
distinguished gentlewoman from the great State of California, the 
iconic, the heroic, and the legendary Speaker Emerita, Nancy 
D'Alesandro Pelosi.
  Speaker Emerita Pelosi will go down in history as the greatest 
Speakers of all time. Throughout her turn in Congress, she has been a 
legendary legislator, a fabulous facilitator, and a no-nonsense 
negotiator. We know that Nancy Pelosi is a woman of faith, a loving 
wife, a mother of five, a grandmother of nine, a defender of democracy, 
a voice for the voiceless, and a powerful champion for the children, 
the climate, California, Charm City, the Caucus, the Congress, the 
country, and the Constitution.
  I thank the Speaker Emerita for all that she has done. It is an honor 
to stand on her broad shoulders as well as the shoulders of the great 
Steny Hoyer and the great  Jim Clyburn, two consequential leaders in 
their own right.
  The Scripture says in Galatians: ``Let us not become weary in doing 
good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give 
up.''
  Over the last 2 years, House Democrats, in partnership with President 
Biden and our colleagues in the Senate, have been hard at work on 
behalf of the American people getting big things done. We passed the 
American Rescue Plan, saved the economy from a deep recession, put 
shots in arms, money in pockets, and kids back in school. We passed the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to create millions of good-
paying jobs, fix our crumbling bridges, roads, tunnels, our airports, 
our sewer and water systems, our mass transportation systems, and 
ensured high-speed internet access in every single community. We passed 
gun safety legislation for the first time in 30 years that will save 
lives and make our communities safer.
  We passed the CHIPS and Science Act to bring domestic manufacturing 
jobs back home to the United States of America and ensure that our 
workforce has the skills to succeed in the 21st century economy.
  We passed the Inflation Reduction Act to strike a dramatic blow 
against the climate crisis, set our planet on a sustainable trajectory 
forward, lower energy costs, strengthen the Affordable Care Act, lower 
healthcare costs, and drive down the high price of lifesaving 
prescription drugs for millions of Americans.
  It was one of the most consequential Congresses in American history. 
President Biden gets the job done, and the D in Democrat stands for 
deliver.
  So over the next 2 years, as we begin this 118th Congress, let us 
continue to fight for lower costs, let us continue to fight in this 
Congress for better-paying jobs, let us continue to fight in this 
Congress for safer communities, let us continue to fight in this 
Congress to defend democracy, let us continue to fight in this Congress 
to protect the public interests, let us continue to fight in this 
Congress for economic opportunity in every single ZIP Code, and let us 
continue to fight in this Congress for reproductive freedom because as 
Democrats, we do believe in a country for everyone, a country that 
provides for the poor, works for working

[[Page H46]]

families, makes sense for the middle class, stands up for senior 
citizens, innovates in the inner city, strengthens suburban 
communities, helps out the heartland, and revitalizes rural America.
  We believe in a country with liberty and justice for all, equal 
protection under the law, and free and fair elections. Yes, we believe 
in a country with the peaceful transfer of power.
  We believe that in America, our diversity is a strength, it is not a 
weakness. It is an economic strength, a competitive strength, and a 
cultural strength. Our diversity is a strength. It is not a weakness.
  We are a gorgeous mosaic of people from throughout the world. As John 
Lewis would sometimes remind us on this floor: We may have come over on 
different ships, but we are all in the same boat now.
  We are White, we are Black, we are Latino, we are Asian, we are 
Native American, we are Christian, we are Jewish, we are Muslim, we are 
Hindu, we are religious, we are secular, we are gay, we are straight, 
we are young, we are older, we are women, we are men, we are citizens, 
and we are Dreamers. Out of many we are one. That is what makes America 
a great country. And no matter what kind of haters are trying to divide 
us, we are not going to let anyone take that away from us--not now, not 
ever.
  This is the United States of America, a land of opportunity. The fact 
that I am able to stand up here today is another data point in that 
narrative. I was born in Brooklyn Hospital, raised in a working-class 
neighborhood in Crown Heights, grew up in the Cornerstone Baptist 
Church, and started off in the Cradle Roll Department. Somehow I 
survived the violence of the crack cocaine epidemic and wound up here 
in the United States Congress as the highest ranking Democrat in the 
House of Representatives.
  America is truly a land of opportunity, a government of the people, 
by the people, and for the people.
  So on this first day, let us commit to the American Dream, a dream 
that promises that if you work hard and play by the rules, then you 
should be able to provide a comfortable living for yourself and for 
your family, educate your children, purchase a home, and one day retire 
with grace and dignity.
  Let us commit on this first day to lift up the American Dream for 
every single person in this Nation.
  I recognize that this is a moment of transition as we transition from 
one Congress to the next, from one majority to the next, from a year of 
accomplishment to a year of ambiguity, a moment of transition. The 
American people, understandably after the events of this week, 
recognize that the Congress is at a fork in the road.
  I ask the question: What direction will we choose?

                              {time}  0110

  On this first day, I do not pretend to answer that question on behalf 
of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle, but we do extend our 
hand of partnership to you and want to make clear that we extend and 
intend to try to find common ground whenever and wherever possible on 
behalf of the American people.
  Not as Democrats, not as Republicans, not as Independents, but as 
Americans.
  But I also want to make clear that we will never compromise our 
principles. House Democrats will always put American values over 
autocracy, benevolence over bigotry, the Constitution over the cult, 
democracy over demagogues, economic opportunity over extremism, freedom 
over fascism, governing over gaslighting, hopefulness over hatred, 
inclusion over isolation, justice over judicial overreach, knowledge 
over kangaroo courts, liberty over limitation, maturity over Mar-a-
Lago, normalcy over negativity, opportunity over obstruction, people 
over politics, quality-of-life issues over QAnon, reason over racism, 
substance over slander, triumph over tyranny, understanding over 
ugliness, voting rights over voter suppression, working families over 
the well-connected, xenial over xenophobia, ``yes, we can'' over ``you 
can't do it,'' and zealous representation over zero-sum confrontation.
  We will always do the right thing by the American people, so let us 
not grow weary of doing good, for the American people will reap the 
benefit of the harvest if we do not give up.
  God bless you, God bless the House, and God bless the United States 
of America.
  It is now my solemn responsibility to hand over the people's gavel to 
a son of Bakersfield, a former small business owner, a proud product of 
a firefighter's household, the gentleman from the great State of 
California, and the next Speaker of the 118th Congress, Kevin McCarthy.
  Mr. McCARTHY. That was easy, huh? I never thought we would get up 
here.
  Thank you, Minority Leader Jeffries. Hakeem, I have got to warn you, 
2 years ago, I got 100 percent of the vote from my Conference.
  There is somebody else I want to thank, the gentlewoman who served as 
our presiding officer this week, our clerk, Cheryl Johnson. Thank you.
  My father always told me, it is not how you start, it is how you 
finish. And now we need to finish strong for the American people.
  If the son of a fireman and the grandchild of immigrants can rise to 
the highest position in the most important legislative body in our 
country, and if my colleague, Hakeem Jeffries, with his life story, can 
rise to lead his party, then opportunity and democracy still thrive in 
America.
  To Leader Jeffries, there will be times we agree, and many times we 
will differ. I promise our debates will be passionate, but they will 
never be personal. That is my commitment to you.
  And now the hard work begins. What we do here today, next week, next 
month, next year will set the tone for everything that follows.
  Tonight, I want to talk directly to the American people. As Speaker 
of the House, my ultimate responsibility is not to my party, my 
Conference, or even our Congress. My responsibility, our 
responsibility, is to our country. Two months ago, you voted for a new 
direction for our country. You embraced our Commitment to America, and 
now we are going to keep our commitment to you.
  It is a commitment for an economy that is strong, where you can fill 
up your tank of gas and feed your family, where paychecks grow and not 
shrink. It is a commitment for a Nation that is safe, where communities 
are protected, law enforcement is respected, and criminals are 
prosecuted; a commitment for the future that is built on freedom, where 
children come first and are taught to dream big because in America, 
dreams can still come true; a commitment for a government that is held 
accountable, where Americans get the answers they want, need, and 
deserve.
  Our system was built on checks and balances. It is time for us to be 
a check and provide some balance to the President's policies.
  There is nothing more important than making it possible for American 
families to live and enjoy the lives they deserve. That is why we 
commit to stop wasteful Washington spending, to lower the price of 
groceries, gas, cars, housing, and stop the rising national debt.

                              {time}  0120

  We pledge to cut the regulatory burden, lower energy costs for 
families, and create good-paying jobs for workers by unleashing 
reliable, abundant, American-made energy.
  I know the night is late but when we come back, our very first bill 
will repeal the funding for 87,000 IRS agents. You see, we believe 
government should be here to help you, not go after you.
  We are going to pass bills to fix the Nation's urgent challenges, 
from the wide-open southern border to America-last energy policies to 
woke indoctrination in our schools.
  We will also address America's long-term challenges: the debt and the 
rise of the Chinese Communist Party. Congress must speak with one voice 
on both of these issues.
  That is why we will end wasteful Washington spending. From now on, if 
a Federal bureaucrat wants to spend it, they will come before this 
institution to defend it.
  As for the Chinese Communist Party, we will create a select committee 
on China to investigate how to bring back the hundreds of thousands of 
jobs that went to China, and then we will win this economic 
competition.
  Now, speaking of committees, we will hold the swamp accountable--from 
the

[[Page H47]]

withdrawal from Afghanistan to the origins of COVID to the 
weaponization of the FBI. Let me be very clear. We will use the power 
of the purse and the power of the subpoena to get the job done.
  This is something we should all agree upon. We will stand up and 
speak out for the backbone of our economy: the hardworking taxpayers.
  It is nighttime here in Washington but in some ways, it is also like 
a new beginning, a fresh start. My friends, this Chamber is now fully 
open for all Americans to visit.
  I want to give all Americans a personal invitation: You are welcome 
to see this body at work. No longer will the doors be closed, but the 
debates will be open for you to witness what happens in the people's 
House.
  From the committee rooms to this floor, we commit to pursue the truth 
passionately and embrace debate. No more one-sided inquiries. Competing 
ideas will be put to the test in public so that the best ideas win.
  We also pledge to bring Congress to the people because answers have 
not and will not always be found in Washington. That is why one of our 
very first hearings will be held at the southern border. No more 
ignoring this crisis of safety and sovereignty. We must secure our 
border. We must get America back on track.
  Now, on a personal note to my family here and at home: my wife, Judy; 
my children, Meghan, Connor, and Emily; my brother, Marc; Monica and 
Zac; and, yes, my mom, Bert, I am where I am because you are who you 
are.
  I would also like to thank my constituents in California's Central 
Valley, and yes, especially my hometown of Bakersfield. I don't know if 
you are familiar with music but as Buck Owens sings: ``How many of you 
that sit and judge me have ever walked the streets of Bakersfield?''
  Well, I have walked those streets my entire life. I know its people. 
They are hardworking and relentlessly optimistic about our future, and 
I am very honored to have the opportunity to represent them in 
Congress.
  As a son of a firefighter, I saw firsthand how hard work, leadership, 
and service to others can change people's lives. That is exactly why we 
are here today: to serve you, the people.
  We come here with the support of our families and the faith of our 
neighbors to be their voice in Washington. For all the wives and 
husbands, children and parents who are watching a loved one be sworn 
in--I know it took a couple extra days. I will be honest, that is not 
how I had it planned--I want you to remember this moment. Take it in.
  Your loved ones are about to become a part of history. My colleagues 
and I thank you for your understanding and your sacrifice. We will work 
every day to make you proud.
  My most favorite spot in this building is not in this Chamber. It is 
in the Chamber they met before, in Statuary Hall. It is my favorite 
place to take people on a tour. It is where Abraham Lincoln served. He 
was just a one-term Congressman; sat in the back. I like to go in that 
spot and stand where he stood. I like to do it at night when people 
aren't around. I like to look over and look at the clock because that 
is the same clock and same view that Abraham Lincoln saw.
  I have watched Lincoln serve in the greatest challenge to our 
Constitution, the Civil War. I watched him take people who were rivals 
and put them together. I watched at a time when he did not know if the 
Nation could sustain itself, but he dreamt of a future and built a 
railroad across the Nation.
  I want us to all take a moment one time that you are here; I want you 
to stand there. I want you to look, and I want you to think: If America 
could do it then, we can do it now. One more time.

                              {time}  0130

  Abe Lincoln gave his life in service to this country. One of his most 
important observations about America applies today as much as it did 
160 years ago. He said: ``We are striving to maintain the government 
and institutions of our fathers . . . and transmit them to our children 
and our children's children forever.'' My fellow Americans, that is 
still our mission today.
  This moment calls for restoring trust within our country and with 
each other. In that spirit, I will work with anyone and everyone who 
shares our passion to deliver a better future for the Nation.
  I hope you will join me. As a Congress, we can only operate if we 
cooperate.
  My door will be open. I would like you to come by. I want you to see, 
as you walk down the hall, a large portrait of Lincoln. I want you to 
go into that conference room, and I want you to see another portrait. 
My Members know this. It is of Washington crossing the Delaware. We all 
know the story. It happened on Christmas 1776. There was no iPhone to 
take a picture.
  People wonder when it was painted. It wasn't painted by someone who 
was there. It was painted in 1850 and 1851. He was an immigrant who 
lived in America, Emanuel Leutze.
  Do you know why he painted it? Because he knew America was more than 
a country. America was an idea.
  He went home to Germany, and he wanted Germany to have a revolution 
based upon the values and freedoms that we defend every day. His talent 
was art, so he believed if he painted this painting, he could inspire 
his countrymen to rise up for the idea of freedom.
  Many historians will tell you he didn't get it correct. They will 
tell you Washington crossed on a Durham boat, but he paints it with 
Washington in a rowboat.
  You see 13 people but only 12 faces. You see Washington standing up 
in a rowboat in the middle of winter, wearing a ceremonial uniform with 
his hand on his chest. He looks so stoic. You would look at that man 
and you would say, ``I would follow him anywhere.'' You proudly believe 
that he never lost a battle.
  But history would tell us, at that moment, at that time, he had only 
lost. We had never won. You see, that was the night of our first 
victory as a nation, when we surprised the Hessians.
  When you look at that painting, don't look at Washington. I want you 
to look at who is in the boat. You see the second rower in the beret; 
he is Scottish. The person directly across from him in the green, 
rowing in the exact same cadence, is an African American. You come down 
right to the middle in the red. The person who is rowing the strongest 
is a woman, and in the very back is a Native American.
  I don't know from a historic fact if they were in the boat that 
night, but to this young immigrant who had lived in America, that is 
who he believed would be in the boat.
  The second-to-last person is a farmer. He could be from Bakersfield. 
I am not sure. His hand goes across his face. People will debate this 
part, but what I see is the hand of the 13th person nobody sees. You 
see, what I believe Emanuel was saying is: Here we are, battling for 
the creation of the idea of freedom, that every individual is equal, 
not a perfect nation but striving to be a more perfect union, having 
lost every battle against the greatest challenge with the strongest 
nation, having lost them all but willing to do it on our holiest of 
nights with a hand reached out and asking if you would join us.
  That is as true today as it was then. If we let everybody in the 
boat, if we row in the same cadence together, there is no obstacle this 
body can't overcome for this Nation. It is time for us to be the voice 
and worthy of their vote.
  Let me close with this. I may not know all of you--some of you are 
new--but I hope one thing is clear after this week: I never give up.
  I make this promise: I will never give up for you, the American 
people, and I will never give up on keeping our commitment to America.
  Our Nation is worth fighting for. Our rights are worth fighting for. 
Our dreams are worth fighting for. Our future is worth fighting for.
  Therefore, with love for this country and charity for each other, let 
us now take our oath and be worthy of the office which we are about to 
enter.
  God bless everybody in this Chamber, and God bless America.
  Not so fast. I have to get sworn in first. Sit down.
  I am now ready to take the oath of office.
  I ask the dean of the House, the Honorable Hal Rogers of Kentucky, 
one of my first mentors, to administer the oath of the office.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. First, we want to offer a bipartisan 
congratulations to the gentleman from California.

[[Page H48]]

  

  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky then administered the oath of office to Mr. 
McCarthy of California, as follows:
  Do you solemnly swear or affirm that you will support and defend the 
Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and 
domestic; that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; 
that you take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or 
purpose of evasion; and that you will well and faithfully discharge the 
duties of the office on which you are about to enter, so help you God.
  (Applause, the Members rising.)
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.

                          ____________________