[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 173 (Friday, October 20, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5036-H5038]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELECTION OF SPEAKER
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question now recurs upon the election of
a Speaker. Will the tellers please come forward.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy).
Mr. McCARTHY. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I rise to nominate Jim
Jordan for the Speaker of the House.
I have listened to the speeches this week, and I can already tell you
what my friends on the other side will say, using their poll-tested
phrases, but let me correct the record. Jim Jordan is an effective
legislator.
To legislate is about more than the name on the bill. It is about
reaching compromise and working long hours behind the scenes to get the
job done.
When you are the chairman of a committee, you are responsible for
dozens of bills passing the House and being signed into law.
Let me tell you a few facts that don't come out in the polls. As the
leader of the Judiciary Committee, Jim has passed more bills through
the House in just 3 years than the entire Democrat leadership team that
has a collective 28 years in Congress.
Mr. Aguilar has a whopping one whole bill signed into law; a post
office in San Bernardino. I guess that is good enough to be Caucus
chair.
Jim Jordan, on the other hand, had a hand in drafting bills like
the REINS Act to curb unaccountable bureaucrats. He helped negotiate
and pass H.R. 2, the strongest border security bill this House has ever
passed.
Many of you know because you were in the room watching Jim find
compromise, watching Jim listen to your positions and finding a bill
that can pass.
Let's put this in reality. We have had large majorities, but we never
could pass a border security bill. That takes leadership.
They are going to get upset by it. Why? Because every single Democrat
voted against securing our border. Democrats are attacking Jim because
they don't want the American people to remember that they voted against
securing and keeping a wide-open border.
They may not want the American public to know the number of people we
catch on the terrorist watch list. They may not want people to know
what the future holds for the security of our Nation based upon their
policies.
Name me one bill Democrats passed that would secure our border. I am
waiting. You can't because they haven't.
Mr. Speaker pro tempore, the truth is, if we measure lawmakers by how
many bills have their names on it, we are using the wrong measuring
stick.
Some of the Members I know with the most bills to their name are the
most selfish. Jim Jordan, on the other hand, is one of the most
selfless Members I know.
I have known Jim a long time, and I wanted to do something different.
I actually called the freshmen members on his committee and asked them:
What do you think of your chairman?
Here are just a few examples of what they said: Jim empowers every
member of the Judiciary Committee to pursue what interests them.
Here is another: He lets each of us take the lead on the issues that
are important to us, even letting freshmen and junior members take
important roles.
Here is another: He trusts our judgment on how we handle issues and
witnesses and always seeks our input on key issues.
Here is another: As a freshman, he had me lead off a hearing that
related to my subject matter expertise, and he goes out of his way to
highlight members' successes.
He is straightforward, honest, and reliable. That is who Jim Jordan
is, and that is what being a Speaker is all about.
Now, some of you might not know this, but Jim and I have a long
history. We take our jobs seriously.
I first met Jim as a candidate. I traveled to Ohio. I remember
pulling up for breakfast at a Bob Evans in Ohio. There was Jim having a
meeting, listening to constituents.
I traveled with him throughout the day from rotary to farm bureau,
just listening to people that had concerns, and I watched then the same
Jim Jordan I see today. He was a leader, a listener, and a fighter.
We were actually elected to Congress that same year and became close
friends. It was a small class. There were only 13 of us, one of the
smallest Republican classes in modern history.
Over time, we took different routes. Jim actually ran against me for
leader in 2018. It was a hard-fought battle, but I never once
questioned his skills or commitment to this Conference or this country.
After the race, I became leader, and we had an opening for the
ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight. Jim didn't even
apply for the job. I walked into steering; didn't tell steering.
I walked into the other room, and I picked up the phone and I called
Jim. I said: I know you are not running for the job, but I believe in
what Jim Collins says in the book ``Good to Great.'' You put the right
people in the right seats on the bus.
Jim, you and I may have challenged one another, but you were the
right person for that seat, and it was right when you took that job.
It was right again when I asked Jim to step up and join the Intel
Committee when Democrats put politics over people and turned the Intel
Committee into an impeachment committee.
It was right again when we asked Jim to step up and be the right
person to lead the Judiciary Committee as chairman. Jim is the right
person to take that seat behind me to be our next Speaker of the House.
Mr. Speaker pro tempore, we have an important job to do. The American
people expect us to focus on the most pressing issues.
We have watched what a Democrat majority has done by bringing us
inflation like we haven't seen since the 1970s.
[[Page H5037]]
We have watched what the Democrats have done by opening up our
border, bringing in fentanyl that is killing Americans each and every
day.
Now we have a war in Israel.
This country is too great for small visions. Trust me: Being Speaker
is not an easy job, especially in this Conference, but I've seen Jim
spend his entire career fighting for freedom, no matter what, no matter
the odds, and I know he is ready for the job.
It is my honor to say as a member of the Republican Conference, I am
directed by the vote of that Conference to present for election to the
office of Speaker of the House of Representatives the name of my
friend, the Honorable Jim Jordan, a Representative from the State of
Ohio.
{time} 1100
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair now recognizes the gentlewoman
from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark).
Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, 212, it is a New
York area code, and it is our call for a Speaker of integrity,
intelligence, and inclusion; 212 is our call for a Speaker who will
protect our children, our veterans, our planet; 212 is our call for a
Speaker who will grow the middle class, lower costs, create good-paying
jobs, and make healthcare affordable; 212 is our call for a Speaker who
will secure liberty, justice, and opportunity for everyone.
Well, the unanimous call of 212 House Democrats has been answered by
our nominee for Speaker, the gentleman from Brooklyn, the leader of our
House Democratic Caucus, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries.
Leader Jeffries has answered our call, but the majority's nominee is
disconnected. He is disconnected from the American people and their
values. MAGA extremism is designed to divide, and it has broken the
Republican Party. Their nominee's vision is a direct attack on the
freedom and the rights of the American people, and he has got the
record to prove it.
The Republican nominee has voted against healthcare for children, for
veterans, even for 9/11 survivors. He has opposed lowering the cost of
insulin repeatedly. He wants to cut Social Security and Medicare. Don't
take it from me, it was raised on the other side of the aisle just this
week as a selling point to make him Speaker.
Over his 16 years in the House, the Republican nominee has never
supported a farm bill. What does that mean?
It means he has turned his back on farmers, on rural communities, and
the 11 million children who go to bed hungry in this country.
The Republican nominee wants a national abortion ban with no
exceptions for rape, incest, or the health of a mother. We want to make
our own healthcare decisions in consultation with our families, our
doctors, and our faith--not with Jim Jordan.
The Republican nominee plotted to overturn the 2020 election,
traffics in misinformation, and is a true threat to our democracy and
our Constitution.
I have had the privilege of working here in the people's House for
almost 10 years. I have gotten to know many of my colleagues on the
other side of the aisle, and I know that they hear the same thing that
I do, which is that the American people expect us to work together on
their behalf.
Well, it is not too late for the majority to choose a bipartisan path
forward to reopen the House. Take ``yes'' for an answer.
Every day the majority chooses to engage in a Republican civil war
that is threatening their own members instead of engaging with us in
the work of the American people, is a day that weakens this institution
and the standing of our country.
We need a Speaker who will govern through consensus, not conflict. We
need a Speaker worthy of wielding that gavel. We need a leader who will
defend democracy, not degrade it. More than ever, we need proven,
patriotic, people-first leadership.
Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I am proud to nominate Hakeem Jeffries as
Speaker of the House.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Reading Clerk will now call the roll.
The tellers have taken their places, and the House proceeded to vote
for the Speaker.
The following is the result of the vote:
[Roll No. 525]
JEFFRIES--210
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
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
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--194
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
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
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
Issa
Jackson (TX)
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (OH)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
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
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
Wagner
Walberg
Waltz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams (NY)
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Yakym
Zinke
SCALISE--8
Diaz-Balart
Ferguson
Gonzales, Tony
Granger
Kelly (PA)
Rutherford
Simpson
Womack
[[Page H5038]]
McHENRY--6
Bacon
Chavez-DeRemer
Fitzpatrick
Kiggans (VA)
Lawler
Miller-Meeks
ZELDIN--4
D'Esposito
Garbarino
LaLota
Molinaro
DONALDS--2
Buchanan
James
McCARTHY--2
Gimenez
Kean (NJ)
GARCIA, MIKE--1
Ellzey
EMMER--1
Buck
WESTERMAN--1
Stauber
ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0
NOT VOTING--4
Gonzalez, Vicente
Hunt
Payne
Van Orden
{time} 1200
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The tellers agree in their tally that the
total number of votes cast is 429, of which the Honorable Jim Jordan
of the State of Ohio has received 194, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of
the State of New York has received 210, the Honorable Patrick McHenry
of the State of North Carolina has received 6, the Honorable Byron
Donalds of the State of Florida has received 2, the Honorable Tom
Emmer of the State of Minnesota has received 1, the Honorable Lee
Zeldin of the State of New York has received 4, the Honorable Steve
Scalise of the State of Louisiana has received 8, the Honorable Mike
Garcia of the State of California has received 1, the Honorable Kevin
McCarthy of the State of California has received 2, 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.
____________________