[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 171 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5026-H5028]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1145
                          ELECTION OF SPEAKER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question now recurs upon the election of 
a Speaker. The tellers will please come forward and take their seats.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Cole).
  Mr. COLE. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I rise for the purpose of placing 
in nomination the name of the Honorable Jim Jordan for the position of 
Speaker of the House at the direction of the Republican Conference.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, 2 weeks and 1 day ago, I was on this House 
floor and in this Chamber defending my very good friend and our former 
Speaker, Mr. McCarthy, from an effort to vacate the Chair.
  In the course of that speech, I made the remark that those who did 
this, whether intentionally or unintentionally, were going to put the 
Congress in a state of chaos and the country into a state of 
uncertainty. I think the last 2 weeks have vindicated that observation. 
We have a chance today to end that chaos and to end that uncertainty.
  When these races happen, there are always a lot of hard things said 
on both sides of the aisle. There is a lot of finger-pointing that goes 
on. I don't intend to be involved in any of that today. I think the 
decision in front of us is far, far too important for that.
  I am very proud, very proud, to place in nomination the name of our 
good friend, my good friend, our Republican candidate for Speaker, the 
Honorable Jim Jordan of Ohio.
  I have had the privilege of knowing   Jim Jordan for a long time. I 
have been in Congress for a long time. For his entire period in the 
House, I have had the honor of serving with my friend.
  My friend is not exactly a shrinking violet. You don't win national 
championships in college; you don't come to this floor with a sincere 
set of beliefs and a desire to make a change and be shy about it. My 
friend is not a shy person.
  I have learned some things about him over the years. He is a person 
of absolute personal integrity. I have never once had to question 
something that he told me. He is an honorable man.
  I also think we all know he is a pretty direct man, too. I don't 
think anybody in here on any issue of any substance would have to guess 
where   Jim Jordan is going to stand.
  He doesn't deceive. He doesn't dissemble. He simply tells you 
straight up that this is what I believe; this is why I think it is the 
right thing to do for the country; and that is what I am going to try 
and accomplish, and I am going to work with you in any way that I can 
to do it.
  The other thing I think we have found in the last couple of weeks is 
what it takes to be a Speaker. The one thing I know--never having been 
one and never having aspired to be one--is that it takes a spine of 
steel to do this job.
  My friend has that kind of determination, has that kind of character, 
and has that kind of spine. I think the next Speaker is going to need 
that quality, and I know my friend has it in great abundance.
  If you are a Republican, it ought to be a pretty easy decision, my 
friends. This is somebody who believes what we believe and has fought 
for and shown that over and over again.
  When I first got to know him, a lot of his focus was on spending. 
That is exactly where the focus of this House ought to be.
  Now, he has laid out a plan, not just a short-term plan, as to how we 
deal with the appropriations process. I am an appropriator. I think I 
know that that is not the root of the problem.
  Unlike any other Speaker we have had, he has had the courage to talk 
about a long-term plan and to get at the real drivers of debt, and we 
all know what they are. We all know it is Social Security. We all know 
it is Medicare. We all know it is Medicaid.
  No President of either side has been willing to deal with this. No 
Speaker of either side has been willing to deal with this.
  My friend, our former colleague John Delaney, and I offered a plan. I 
still file it every year--John is not here anymore--which is to go back 
to 1983 and do what we did then and address Social Security. We can 
never get any help.
  This is a guy that wants to create a debt commission, a bipartisan 
debt commission, and get at the roots of our spending problem. That 
takes courage.

                              {time}  1200

  Republicans ought to support somebody with that kind of courage. He 
is not only focused on one thing. I don't know anybody that has done 
more to highlight and talk about the border disaster that is underway 
right now as we speak.
  I had the privilege of serving here when Jeh Johnson was Secretary of 
Homeland Security. I have a very high opinion for Jeh Johnson. I think 
he is one of the finest public servants that I ever met. He was asked 
on one occasion to define what was a crisis on the southern border.
  He said: Any time that you have more than 1,000 illegal entries a 
day, you have a crisis.
  We have 10 or 11 times that every single day. In that tide of 
humanity that is coming across, there is a boatload of fentanyl coming 
to kill tens of thousands of all of our constituents.
  There are human traffickers who are taking advantage of young men and 
young women and, frankly, predators in our own country, and they are 
bringing them across, not by the 10s or 20s or the dozens, but by the 
hundreds and the thousands.
  There are, amongst that flow of people, people that wish us ill. 
There are people who are not fleeing from oppression. There are people 
who are terrorists or criminals that are coming into our country for no 
good reason.
  That is not an immigration problem. That is a border security 
problem. They are not the same thing. We can debate immigration. That 
is a worthy debate. We should never have to debate border security. 
Nobody has highlighted that issue like my friend   Jim Jordan. Nobody 
has done more as a committee chairman to move legislation that would 
meaningfully deal with this problem.
  This, my friends on both sides of the aisle, but with all due 
respect, particularly this administration and my friends on the other 
side, need to look at this. You need to look at this seriously. Don't 
confuse it with immigration. You are not going to have immigration 
reform until we have border security. It cannot be done. He has been 
the number one champion of that. It is one of the number one issues 
that we have.

[[Page H5027]]

  Finally, I want to talk about something that can bring us together. 
There are a lot of things we disagree on, legitimately so, but most of 
us do not disagree about the security of the State of Israel. All of us 
on both sides of the aisle reacted with horror and with deep sympathy 
and with legitimate outrage at the crimes that were perpetrated against 
the people of Israel in the last week. All of us know that they are 
within their rights to respond forcefully and swiftly to defend their 
people and punish those who brought that upon them.
  In a moment of crisis--and we are in a moment of crisis--we should 
come together and act. We know we can't do that without a Speaker of 
the House. Now, it is a narrow majority, but my friends and I are in 
the majority. We need to produce a Speaker.
  We have a candidate who we know where he will stand on issues that 
are important. We know where he is going to stand on spending because 
it is where he has always stood. It is not like he changed over the 
course of his career.
  We know what he is going to do on the border. We read H.R. 2. We have 
seen what his committee produced. It is not just money; it is policy 
and change that will provide security for the American people.
  Finally, and I say this on a bipartisan basis, I know he will stand 
up for Israel, and I know in that area we can come together. That 
crisis is on us now. We may get a request at almost any time to act. We 
need to be able to act. My friend will act on that crisis. He has shown 
it his whole career.
  It is with a great deal of pride that I have the privilege of 
nominating my friend, our chairman of the Judiciary Committee, but a 
person whose principles you know, whose actions you can trust, and who 
in a time of crisis will respond with the leadership we need,   Jim 
Jordan.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Aguilar).
  Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I rise today at the direction 
of the House Democratic Caucus to place into nomination for the 
position of Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Honorable 
Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
  Here we are again, Mr. Speaker pro tempore, and I promise to make 
these speeches shorter if we get closer to a compromise, but I am not 
certain that is going to happen at this moment.
  While the Republican candidate for Speaker is making late-night 
backroom deals to secure the gavel, Leader Jeffries has once again 
extended the hand of bipartisanship for a path forward.
  One thing was very clear yesterday, the vote total: 212-200. The 
People's House has spoken and Leader Jeffries has the support to be the 
Speaker that this country needs. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, 212-200, no 
amount of election denying is going to take away from those vote 
totals.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, we shouldn't be surprised at the vote count. 
I noted yesterday the legislative acumen of the gentleman from Ohio. 
Would it surprise anyone that in addition to not passing a single piece 
of legislation, he has never put up a piece of legislation that has 
made it to a committee?
  The Speaker of the House must be a legislator, and the gentleman from 
Ohio falls short in that regard. He supports an extreme agenda and is 
hell-bent on banning abortion nationwide, gutting Medicare, gutting 
Social Security, and giving cover to January 6 attackers. Those aren't 
the values that we share.
  If we don't see a Speaker elected in this round, there is going to be 
another candidate, another internal Republican Conference vote, and a 
secret ballot. The country can't afford more delays and more chaos. 
Fifteen days should be enough.
  House Democrats are united on this path forward. We are united behind 
Hakeem Jeffries. We are united to put people over politics, to lower 
costs, create better paying jobs, build safer communities, and defend 
democracy.

  Once again, we are coming together to achieve this common goal, and 
that is to make Hakeem Jeffries Speaker of the House of 
Representatives.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, Hakeem Jeffries has done what we haven't 
seen from the other side of the aisle, and that is to keep the Caucus 
united. When extreme MAGA Republicans vowed to send our country into a 
devastating default, it was Leader Jeffries who led House Democrats to 
reject the extremism and keep the government open. Mr. Speaker pro 
tempore, we have the vote totals to back that up.
  It has been Leader Jeffries and House Democrats who have shown a 
willingness and a conviction to keep our promise to deliver for 
American families, and it will be Hakeem Jeffries who moves our body 
and our country forward on a bipartisan path.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, who on the other side of the aisle will take 
``yes'' for an answer and work with us to achieve three common goals?
  My colleague and good friend, the gentleman from Oklahoma, mentioned 
one of them: supporting assistance to Israel. What he left out was 
assistance to Ukraine and our national security objective.
  Second, above all else, we must commit to keeping this government 
open and functioning.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker pro tempore, we need to put this body on a 
bipartisan path to achieve real results for the American public. That 
is what we were sent to do. That is what we need to do. That is why 
Hakeem Jeffries is the leader we need at this time to lead this 
Chamber.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I would like to nominate Hakeem Jeffries as 
Speaker of the House.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. There being no further nominations, 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. 523]

                             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--199

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole

[[Page H5028]]


     Collins
     Comer
     Crane
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Curtis
     Davidson
     De La Cruz
     DesJarlais
     Donalds
     Duarte
     Duncan
     Dunn (FL)
     Edwards
     Emmer
     Estes
     Ezell
     Fallon
     Feenstra
     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
     LaMalfa
     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
     Miller (IL)
     Miller (OH)
     Miller (WV)
     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
     Spartz
     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
     Ferguson
     Gonzales, Tony
     Granger
     Rutherford
     Simpson
     Womack

                              McCARTHY--5

     Bacon
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Gimenez
     Kiggans (VA)
     Lawler

                               ZELDIN--3

     D'Esposito
     Garbarino
     LaLota

                               DONALDS--1

       
     Buchanan
       

                                EMMER--1

       
     Buck
       

                            GARCIA, MIKE--1

       
     Ellzey
       

                               BOEHNER--1

       
     Kelly (PA)

                               GRANGER--1

       
     Miller-Meeks

                              WESTERMAN--1

       
     Stauber
       

                         CANDICE MILLER (MI)--1

       
     James
       

                        ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0

                             NOT VOTING--0

                              {time}  1315

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The tellers agree in their tallies that the 
total number of votes cast is 433, of which the Honorable   Jim Jordan 
of the State of Ohio has received 199, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of 
the State of New York has received 212, the Honorable Kevin McCarthy of 
the State of California has received 5, the Honorable Byron Donalds of 
the State of Florida has received 1, the Honorable   Tom Emmer of the 
State of Minnesota has received 1, the Honorable 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 Candice Miller of the 
State of Michigan has received 1, the Honorable John Boehner of the 
State of Ohio has received 1, the Honorable Kay Granger of the State of 
Texas has received 1, and the Honorable Bruce Westerman of the State of 
Arkansas has received 1.
  No person having received a majority of the whole number of votes 
cast by surname, a Speaker has not been elected.

                          ____________________