[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 170 (Tuesday, October 17, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5018-H5020]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ELECTION OF SPEAKER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The next order of business is the election 
of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress.
  Nominations are now in order.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik).
  Ms. STEFANIK. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, Mr. Clerk, colleagues, on 
behalf of the House Republican Conference, I rise today to nominate the 
gentleman from Ohio, Mr.   Jim Jordan, as Speaker of the people's 
House.
  We are at a time of great crisis across America, a time of historic 
challenges in this very Chamber, and a time when heinous acts of terror 
and evil have been committed against our great ally, Israel.
  As this body convenes for the sacred responsibility to elect the next 
Speaker of the people's House, I am reminded of the Book of Esther: for 
such a time as this.
    Jim Jordan will be America's Speaker for such a time as this:
  A time when hardworking American families are struggling under the 
vice of inflation, not able to afford groceries, heat, or gas because 
of the trillions and trillions of dollars of reckless spending by 
failed far-left government;
  A time when millions are being illegally trafficked and smuggled 
across our southern and northern borders due to the catastrophic and 
inhumane wide-open borders of Joe Biden;
  A time when violent crime is skyrocketing across America, destroying 
our great cities, suburbs, and small towns, where people no longer feel 
safe in their homes or in their communities;
  A time when American energy production has been crushed by Joe 
Biden's radical, failed, far-left policies, causing seniors, farmers, 
and families to pay more at the pump and struggle with skyrocketing 
utility bills;
  A time when the Federal Government is weaponized against we the 
people, who they are supposed to serve, stripping us of our God-given 
constitutional rights and wrongfully targeting conservatives, 
Catholics, and even parents at school board meetings;
  A time when the people of our closest and most precious ally, Israel, 
suffered the bloodiest day since the Holocaust, with acts of inhumane 
evil committed by Hamas terrorists backed by Iran, grotesque 
atrocities, the beheadings of babies, rapes, kidnappings, and slaughter 
of women, children, and the elderly, and Israelis and Americans taken 
hostage.
  We are here in this very Chamber for such a time as this.   Jim 
Jordan will be we the people's Speaker for such a time as this.
  Our friend and colleague   Jim Jordan is a patriot. He is an America 
First warrior who wins the toughest of fights, going after corruption 
and delivering accountability at the highest levels of government on 
behalf of we the people.

                              {time}  1245

  Jim is the voice of the American people who have felt voiceless for 
far too long. Whether as Judiciary chair, conservative leader, or 
Representative for his constituents in west central Ohio, whether on 
the wrestling mat or in the committee room,   Jim Jordan is strategic, 
scrappy, tough, and principled.
  He is a mentor, a worker, and above all, he is a fighter. We know 
that   Jim Jordan is a winner on behalf of the American people.
  Almost 10 years ago, many of us sat with our colleague   Jim Jordan 
in this very Chamber when Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered his 
historic joint address--which some of our colleagues across the aisle 
shamefully boycotted. Bibi pointed out that in this very Chamber, we 
serve under the watchful gaze of Moses.
  He said, ``Overlooking all of us in this Chamber is the image of 
Moses. . . . And before the people of Israel entered the land of 
Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for 
thousands of years. . . . Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor 
dread them.''
  He went on to say: ``My friends, may Israel and America always stand 
together, strong and resolute. May we neither fear nor dread the 
challenges ahead. May we face the future with confidence, strength, and 
hope.''
  On behalf of the American people, let's face the future with 
confidence, strength, and hope. Let's elect   Jim Jordan, our Speaker 
of the people's House, for such a time as this.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Aguilar).
  Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, with great respect for this 
institution, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus, I am directed by the 
vote of that Caucus to present for election to the office of the 
Speaker of the House of Representatives the name of the Honorable 
Hakeem Jeffries, the pride of Crown Heights, a Representative from the 
State of New York.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, this is not the history we wanted to make 
here in the House. It is something that none of us imagined when we 
were sworn into this office.
  We are here because the House has been thrown into chaos. We are here 
because this hallowed Chamber has been led to a breaking point by two 
dangerous forces: extremism and partisanship.
  The American people placed their faith in us to tackle their most 
pressing issues: lowering costs, growing the middle class, and standing 
up to those set on delivering a national abortion ban.
  The choice before us is simple: Come together on a bipartisan path 
forward or take us over the cliff. Abandon the extremism that is 
preventing us from getting things done or triple down on division and 
dysfunction.
  A vote today to make the architect of a nationwide abortion ban, a 
vocal election denier, and an insurrection insider Speaker of this 
House would be a terrible message to the country and our allies.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, it would send an even more troubling message 
to our enemies that the very people who would seek to undermine 
democracy are rewarded with positions of immense power.
  We are talking about someone who has spent his entire career trying 
to hold our country back, putting our national security in danger, 
attempting government shutdown after government shutdown, wasting 
taxpayer dollars on baseless investigations with dead ends, authoring 
the very bill that would ban abortion nationwide without exceptions, 
and inciting violence on this Chamber. Even leaders of his own

[[Page H5019]]

party have called him a legislative terrorist. He once said, ``I didn't 
come to Congress to make more laws.'' His words speak for themselves.
  When New Yorkers recovering from Hurricane Sandy needed Congress to 
act, he said no.
  When wildfires ravaged the West, destroying homes and businesses, and 
those residents needed disaster assistance, he said no.
  When the Mississippi River floods devastated the South and 
communities across State lines needed Congress to act, he said no.
  When our veterans were suffering from disease and dying as a result 
of their service to our country and Congress passed a bipartisan 
solution, he said no.
  When our ally in Ukraine looked to Congress for additional support to 
help defeat Putin, he said no.
  Just before Hamas' brutal terrorist attack on Israel, he said no to 
fully funding military aid for our ally.
  This body is debating elevating a Speaker nominee who has not passed 
a single bill in 16 years. These are not the actions of someone 
interested in governing or bettering the lives of everyday Americans.
  This is nothing less than the rejection of the oath that we swore to 
uphold as duly elected Members of this body.
  But on this side of the aisle and throughout this Chamber, I am 
convinced that oath still matters. To fulfill our obligations to the 
American people, we have no choice today but to vote for a leader of 
both character and conviction.

  When the Congress first began, we proudly stood next to him as our 
leader and made a promise to every American.
  House Democrats would work to find common ground on the issues that 
matter most to the American people whenever possible, and we would 
stand up to extremism whenever necessary.
  Only Hakeem Jeffries can be trusted to keep his word. Only Hakeem 
Jeffries can lead us out of the chaos and toward a path of governance.
  It brings me immense pride to nominate our friend, the Democratic 
leader, Hakeem Jeffries, as Speaker. He may just be the candidate with 
the most votes, but he is also the candidate with the most credibility.
  If the goal is to continue a 30-year march to hollow out our 
Democratic institutions, weaken our democracy, and embolden extremists, 
there is a candidate for you.
  If the goal is to continue taking marching orders from a twice-
impeached former President with more than 90 pending felony charges, 
then there is a candidate for you.
  The world is watching, Mr. Speaker pro tempore. Our allies in Ukraine 
and Israel are watching and waiting. Let's have this vote, but let's be 
clear: A vote for the gentleman from Ohio is a vote to turn your back 
on national security.
  It is a vote to turn your back on a bipartisan path to fund the 
government and avoid shutdowns, something we can only do if we reject 
his nomination.
  House Democrats are in the minority. We realize that. If House 
Republicans wanted to elect a Speaker without us, then they could have.
  There is still a path forward for both Democrats and Republicans to 
come together to elect a Speaker who can unite us behind a common 
purpose; keeping the government open on a bipartisan compromise that 
won more than 300 votes just 4 months ago in this Chamber; taking an 
up-or-down vote on help so Israel can defeat Hamas and Ukraine can 
defeat Putin; and reassuring the American people that their legislators 
have their backs.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, it is that simple, and we can do it today. 
Let's work together. Let's elect a Speaker who will reach out the hand 
of bipartisanship and deliver for the American people.
  That is why, once again, Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I am proud to 
nominate Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The names of the Honorable   Jim Jordan, a 
Representative from the State of Ohio, and the Honorable Hakeem 
Jeffries, a Representative from the State of New York, have been placed 
in nomination.
  Are there further nominations?
  There being no further nominations, the Chair appoints the following 
tellers:
  The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Steil);
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Morelle);
  The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk); and
  The gentlewoman from Alabama (Ms. Sewell).
  The tellers will come forward and take their seats at the desk in 
front of the Speaker's rostrum. The roll will now be called, and those 
responding to their names will indicate by surname the nominee of their 
choosing.
  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. 521]

                             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
     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, Al (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
     McClellan
     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--200

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     Ferguson
     Finstad
     Fischbach
     Fitzgerald
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Flood
     Foxx
     Franklin, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garcia, Mike
     Good (VA)
     Gooden (TX)
     Gosar
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Green (TN)
     Greene (GA)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guest
     Guthrie
     Hageman
     Harris
     Harshbarger
     Hern
     Higgins (LA)
     Hill
     Hinson
     Houchin
     Hudson
     Huizenga
     Hunt
     Issa
     Jackson (TX)
     Johnson (LA)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson (SD)
     Jordan
     Joyce (OH)
     Joyce (PA)
     Kean (NJ)
     Kelly (MS)
     Kiley
     Kim (CA)
     Kustoff
     LaHood
     Lamborn
     Langworthy
     Latta
     LaTurner
     Lee (FL)
     Lesko
     Letlow
     Loudermilk
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Luna
     Luttrell
     Mace
     Malliotakis
     Mann
     Massie
     Mast
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClain
     McClintock
     McCormick
     McHenry
     Meuser

[[Page H5020]]


     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
     Rosendale
     Rouzer
     Roy
     Salazar
     Santos
     Scalise
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Self
     Sessions
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smucker
     Stauber
     Steel
     Stefanik
     Steil
     Steube
     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
     Yakym
     Zinke

                               SCALISE--7

     Diaz-Balart
     Gonzales, Tony
     Granger
     Kelly (PA)
     Rutherford
     Simpson
     Womack

                              MCCARTHY--6

     Bacon
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Gimenez
     Kiggans (VA)
     LaMalfa
     Lawler

                               ZELDIN--3

     D'Esposito
     Garbarino
     LaLota

                            GARCIA, MIKE--1

       
     Ellzey
       

                                EMMER--1

       
     Buck
       

                                COLE--1

       
     James
       

                               MASSIE--1

       
     Spartz
       

                        ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0

                             NOT VOTING--1

       
     Bilirakis
       

                              {time}  1345

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The tellers agree in their tallies that the 
total number of votes cast is 432, of which the Honorable   Jim Jordan 
of the State of Ohio has received 200, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of 
the State of New York has received 212, the Honorable Kevin McCarthy of 
the State of California has received 6, Lee Zeldin of the State of New 
York has received 3, the Honorable   Steve Scalise of the State of 
Louisiana has received 7, the Honorable  Mike Garcia of the State of 
California has received 1, the Honorable   Tom Emmer of the State of 
Minnesota has received 1, the Honorable   Tom Cole of the State of 
Oklahoma has received 1, the Honorable   Thomas Massie of the State of 
Kentucky has received 1.
  No persons having received a majority of the whole number of votes 
cast by surname, a Speaker has not been elected.

                          ____________________