[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 176 (Wednesday, October 25, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5048-H5053]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          ELECTION OF SPEAKER

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question now recurs on the election of a 
Speaker. The tellers will please come forward to take their seats once 
again.
  The 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 Louisiana,   Mike Johnson, as Speaker of the people's 
House.
  We convene this esteemed body today at a time of great crisis across 
America, a time of unprecedented challenges in this hallowed Chamber, 
and a time when the very existence of our most precious ally, Israel, 
is under attack from forces of evil.
  Yesterday, our dear colleague, our former Conference chair, the chair 
of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, nominated 
  Mike Johnson in our Conference. She put it best when she said: 
``Trust has been broken, and we have come to a standstill. How do we 
restore trust between Members, leadership, and ultimately between 
Congress and we the people?''
  Mrs. McMorris Rodgers noted that there is a sense that it cannot be 
business as usual. She said: ``Above the Speaker's chair in the House 
Chamber is our Nation's motto, In God We Trust.''
  She went on to say: ``The times in which we are living demand 
boldness, unity, and transformational leadership that begins with trust 
in God and each other. Trust is when the magic happens. In the story of 
King David, we are reminded that man looks at the outward appearance, 
but the Lord looks at the heart.''
  Today is the day that House Republicans will humbly look in our 
hearts and elect   Mike Johnson as Speaker of the people's House.
  A man of deep faith, Mike epitomizes what it means to be a servant 
leader. A deeply respected constitutional lawyer, Mike has dedicated 
his life to preserving America's great principles of life, liberty, and 
the pursuit of happiness.
  Mike is a titan on the Judiciary Committee and a dedicated member of 
the House Armed Services Committee. As vice chair of our Conference, he 
has united all of our members to speak clearly and boldly on behalf of 
the American people. A friend to all and an enemy to none, Mike is 
strong, tough, and fair. Above all, Mike is kind.
  At this very moment, this Republican Conference knows that we live in 
perilous times and that the American people are hurting. Families are 
struggling under the pain of inflation caused by reckless, far-left 
spending, unable to afford groceries, heat, or gas.
  We have an inhumane open border, with millions illegally smuggled and 
trafficked and tens of thousands of children lost in the chasm of the 
incompetence and negligence of the Biden administration.
  Israel is under attack by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists committing 
atrocities, with Israelis suffering the bloodiest days in modern 
memory.
  Crime is skyrocketing on our streets, while there are vicious calls 
from the left to defund our great men and women in blue.
  American energy production has been crushed by Joe Biden's radical, 
failed far-left Democrat policies, causing seniors, farmers, and 
families to pay more at the pump.
  Americans fundamentally understand that the Federal Government has 
been illegally weaponized against we the people, shredding the 
Constitution, targeting conservatives and parents.
  Yes, I will say it again: The Federal Government has been illegally 
weaponized against we the people, shredding the Constitution, targeting 
conservatives, parents, and even Joe Biden's top political opponents.
  The people are looking to this great Chamber to save America, and 
save America we will.
  As we embark on the path ahead, I am reminded of Galatians 6:9: ``And 
let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap if 
we do not give up.''
  House Republicans and Speaker   Mike Johnson will never give up. 
Today is the day we get this done.
  May God bless our next Speaker,   Mike Johnson, and may God bless the 
United States of America.

                              {time}  1300

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Aguilar).
  Mr. AGUILAR. Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I notice a little bit more of a 
smile on your face today than we have in the past.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, I rise today at the direction of the 
Democratic Caucus to place into nomination for the position of Speaker 
of the House of Representatives, the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries from New 
York.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, you may agree with this, but we are back 
here 22 days into this Republican-manufactured chaos and House 
Republicans have brought us to the exact same position that we were 
back then. All of the infighting, all of the disarray just to end up 
where we were 3 weeks ago.
  These past few weeks, we have been left wondering if Republicans were 
truly intent on solving our issues, reopening the House of 
Representatives, and rallying around someone to lead this Chamber, or 
has this been about something else? Has this been about a focus of 
House Republicans to find the person who can pass their extreme litmus 
test to oppose marriage equality, enact a nationwide abortion ban 
without exceptions, gut Social Security and Medicare, and support 
overturning a free and fair election?
  It is a fair question. Nowhere in that candidate questionnaire is it 
about growing the middle class, helping our communities, keeping the 
costs of healthcare lower, and making life for everyday Americans 
better.
  The gentlewoman from New York said it right: This has been about one 
thing. This has been about who can appease Donald Trump. House 
Republicans have put their names behind someone who has been called the 
most important architect of the electoral college objections.
  He spearheaded the legal effort, joined by more than 100 of our 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle in support of a dangerous and 
baseless lawsuit to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
  On the eve of January 6, some of my Republican colleagues even called 
this a failed strategy. Yet those same individuals plan to stand right 
next to him today.
  Mr. Speaker pro tempore, House Democrats believe that when Members of 
this body voted to reject the results of the 2020 election, they 
forfeited their ability to lead this Chamber.
  On this side of the aisle, we know what leadership looks like. Hakeem 
Jeffries has never turned his back on the will of the American people. 
The son of two social workers, he has always stood by the side of 
working families. The most pressing needs of everyday Americans are his 
North Star. He believes that everyone in America should have the 
opportunity to get ahead and achieve their version of the American 
Dream. He believes that access to affordable healthcare is a right,

[[Page H5049]]

not a privilege. He believes that reproductive freedom must be 
guaranteed, not stripped away. He believes that working families, not 
the wealthy and the well-connected, should be rewarded. He believes in 
growing the middle class so that everyone can succeed. He believes that 
our schools and our communities should be safe and free from gun 
violence. He believes in investing in public schools, not depriving 
students of fact-based education by banning books. He believes in 
taking care of our seniors and our veterans, not slashing their 
benefits. He believes in living up to the promise that America is a 
beacon of hope and a land of opportunity. He believes in defending 
democracy against all enemies and adversaries, foreign and domestic. He 
believes in standing by our allies, Israel and Ukraine. He believes in 
keeping our government running and open.
  Let me be clear: This is not just a belief system. Leader Jeffries 
has the track record to back it up. He is certainly a far contrast from 
who Republicans have nominated, with or without their votes, to 
nominate today, but if House Republicans choose they can still join us 
on a bipartisan path forward.
  Let's come together to fund our government, support our allies 
abroad, and deliver for working families. Let's open up the people's 
House and end the chaos, end the dysfunction, end the extremism.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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. 527]

                           JOHNSON (LA)--220

     Aderholt
     Alford
     Allen
     Amodei
     Armstrong
     Arrington
     Babin
     Bacon
     Baird
     Balderson
     Banks
     Barr
     Bean (FL)
     Bentz
     Bergman
     Bice
     Biggs
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (NC)
     Boebert
     Bost
     Brecheen
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Burchett
     Burgess
     Burlison
     Calvert
     Cammack
     Carey
     Carl
     Carter (GA)
     Carter (TX)
     Chavez-DeRemer
     Ciscomani
     Cline
     Cloud
     Clyde
     Cole
     Collins
     Comer
     Crane
     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, Scott
     Fry
     Fulcher
     Gaetz
     Gallagher
     Garbarino
     Garcia, Mike
     Gimenez
     Gonzales, Tony
     Good (VA)
     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
     Hunt
     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
     Rosendale
     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
     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
     Womack
     Yakym
     Zinke

                             JEFFRIES--209

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Allred
     Auchincloss
     Balint
     Barragan
     Beatty
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Blunt Rochester
     Bonamici
     Bowman
     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
     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
     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)

                        ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--0

                             NOT VOTING--4

     Boyle (PA)
     Correa
     Gonzalez, Vicente
     Van Orden


                          personal explanation

  Mr. BOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore, today, I missed 
rollcall vote No. 526 and No. 527 on the floor of the House of 
Representatives. I was in Philadelphia to be with my wife for a 
surgical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``Present'' 
on rollcall No. 526 and ``Hakeem Jeffries'' on rollcall No. 527.

                              {time}  1350

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The tellers agree in their tallies that the 
total number of votes cast is 429, of which the Honorable   Mike 
Johnson of the State of Louisiana has received 220 votes and the 
Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of the State of New York has received 209 
votes.
  Therefore, the Honorable   Mike Johnson of the State of Louisiana, 
having received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected Speaker 
of the House of Representatives for the 118th Congress.
  The Chair appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair:
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise)
  The gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer)
  The gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Stefanik)
  The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson)
  The gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer)
  The gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. McClain)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy)
  The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Donalds)
  The gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Hern)
  The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Bergman)
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. Rodgers)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Arrington)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Fallon)
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Molinaro)
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack)
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Jeffries)
  The gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Clark)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Lieu)
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. DelBene)

[[Page H5050]]

  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn)
  The gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Neguse)
  The gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Escobar)
  The gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood)
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz)
  The gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Kildee)
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Jacobs)
  The gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Crockett)
  And the Members of the Louisiana delegation:
  Mr. Graves
  Mr. Higgins
  Ms. Letlow
  Mr. Carter
  The committee will retire from the Chamber to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair.
  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.

                              {time}  1400

  Mr. JEFFRIES. Speaker   Mike Johnson, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, 
Whip Clark, Chairman Aguilar, all of my colleagues, and government on 
both sides of the aisle, it is an honor and a privilege to once again 
stand before you as House Democratic leader.
  From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have made 
clear that we will find bipartisan common ground with our Republican 
colleagues whenever and wherever possible for the good of the American 
people, and House Democrats have repeatedly done just that.
  It was House Democrats who provided a majority of the votes necessary 
to avoid a catastrophic default on our debt that would have crashed the 
U.S. economy and triggered a job-killing recession.
  It was House Democrats who provided a majority of the votes necessary 
to avoid a government shutdown that would have hurt everyday Americans.
  It was House Democrats who provided a majority of the votes necessary 
to secure $16 billion in disaster assistance for Americans whose lives 
have been devastated by extreme weather events.
  From the very beginning of this Congress, House Democrats have been 
governing for the people. We continue to look forward to finding 
bipartisan common ground whenever and wherever possible.
  House Democrats will continue to partner with President Biden and 
Senate Democrats to put people over politics.
  House Democrats will continue to fight for lower costs, better-paying 
jobs, safer communities, and to build an economy from the middle out 
and the bottom up and not the top down.
  House Democrats will continue to push back against extremism in this 
Chamber and throughout the country.
  House Democrats will continue to protect Social Security, protect 
Medicare, protect Medicaid, protect our children, protect our climate, 
protect low-income families, protect working families, protect the 
middle class, protect organized labor, protect the LGBTQ community, 
protect our veterans, protect older Americans, protect the Affordable 
Care Act, protect the right to vote, protect the peaceful transfer of 
power, protect our democracy, and protect a woman's freedom to make her 
own reproductive healthcare decisions.
  These are blue lines in the sand, and we will work hard to make sure 
that they are never crossed.
  We must also continue to stand by President Biden as he works to 
bring American hostages and Israeli hostages and international hostages 
held by Hamas back home.

                              {time}  1415

  We must also stand by our friends on the international stage. We have 
no better friend in the Middle East than the State of Israel. Israel 
has a right to exist as a Jewish and democratic State. The special 
relationship between the United States and Israel is unbreakable. Our 
commitment to Israel's security is ironclad. Israel has a right to 
defend itself under the international rules of war against the brutal 
terror unleashed on its citizens by Hamas.
  Our ironclad commitment to Israel's security and the effort to defeat 
Hamas is not inconsistent with the goal of achieving a lasting and just 
peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. In many ways, it is a 
necessary ingredient because Hamas is not good for Israel. Hamas is not 
is good for America. Hamas is not good for the free world. Hamas is not 
good for the democratic aspirations of the Palestinian people.
  We must also support Ukraine in its courageous effort to defeat 
Russian aggression. There are only two paths in front of us: We can 
either stand up for Ukraine or bow down to Vladimir Putin. That is not 
a difficult choice.
  We must stand up for America's national security. We must stand up 
for democracy. We must stand up for freedom. We must stand up for 
truth. We must stand up for the Ukrainian people until victory is won.
  It is my expectation that in the next week or so the Senate will send 
over for consideration a bipartisan national security funding package 
for Israel, Ukraine, and our other allies throughout the free world 
that also includes humanitarian assistance for Palestinian civilians 
and others who may be in harm's way.
  The House of Representatives should take up these national security 
and humanitarian relief packages immediately in totality and without 
delay. The time for gamesmanship is over. The time for brinksmanship is 
over. The time for partisanship is over. It is time to get back to 
doing the business of the American people.
  Let me conclude with an observation about the state of our democracy. 
Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential election. He is doing a great job 
under difficult circumstances, and no amount of election denialism will 
ever change that reality. Not now, not ever.
  Throughout the years, Presidents, from Ronald Reagan to Barack Obama 
and Dwight Eisenhower to Lyndon Baines Johnson, have spoken to this 
Chamber and urged us to put aside partisan politics for the good of the 
American people.
  President Lincoln spoke to this Congress on December 1, 1862, in the 
middle of the Civil War, and noted that we in this institution had the 
power and bore the responsibility to save the Union. The stakes were 
high. As articulated by President Lincoln, we could either nobly save 
or meanly lose America as we know it; the last best hope on Earth.
  This is a turbulent time in the American journey, and we have but one 
charge to keep during this moment of great fragility. Our Union must be 
sustained. Our Union must be strengthened. Our Union must succeed.
  There are many throughout this country who are understandably alarmed 
at the turbulence of the moment, at the chaos, the dysfunction, and the 
extremism that has been unleashed in this Chamber from the very 
beginning of this Congress, but this too shall pass.
  Our country has often confronted adversity. The good news is we 
always find a way to make it to the other side. We faced adversity in 
the 1860s in the middle of the Civil War when the country was literally 
tearing itself apart. We faced adversity in October of 1929 when the 
stock market collapsed, plunging us into the Great Depression. We faced 
adversity in December of 1941 when a foreign power unexpectedly struck, 
plunging us into a world war with an evil empire of Nazi Germany.
  We faced adversity in the Deep South in the 1950s and 1960s when the 
country was struggling to reconcile the inherent contradictions between 
Jim Crow segregation and the glorious promises of the Constitution.
  We faced adversity on September 11, 2001, when the towers and the 
Pentagon were unexpectedly struck, killing thousands of lives in an 
instant.
  We faced adversity right here in the House of Representatives when, 
on January 6, 2021, a violent mob of insurrectionists, incited by some 
in this Chamber, overran the House floor as part of an effort to halt 
the peaceful transfer of power.
  Every time we faced adversity, the good news here in America is that 
we always overcome. That is the power of American exceptionalism. That 
is why America is the land of the free and the home of the brave. That 
is why I remain optimistic about the future of

[[Page H5051]]

this country. That is why America is the last best hope on Earth.
  God bless you. God bless the House of Representatives. God bless the 
United States of America.
  It is now my solemn honor and responsibility to hand over the 
people's gavel here in the United States House of Representatives to a 
family man, a hardworking man, a Baptist man, a southern man, a son of 
a firefighter's household, the gentleman from the great State of 
Louisiana and the 56th Speaker of the United States House of 
Representatives, the Honorable   Mike Johnson.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Thank you all. First, a few words of 
gratitude. I want to thank Leader Jeffries. I do look forward to 
working with you on behalf of the American people. I know we see things 
from very different points of view, but I know in your heart you love 
and care about this country and you want to do what is right. We are 
going to find common ground there.
  I want to express my great thanks to our Speaker Emeritus, Kevin 
McCarthy. Kevin has dedicated over two decades of his life to selfless 
public service; 16 of those years in this House. You would be hard-
pressed to find anybody who loves this institution more or who has 
contributed more to it. He is the reason we are in this majority today. 
His impact can never be overstated. I want to thank him for his 
leadership, his friendship, and the selfless sacrifice that he and Judy 
have made for so many years. You helped build it, Kevin, and we owe you 
a great debt of gratitude.
  I want to thank the dedicated and overworked staff of this 
beleaguered House. They accept praise so stoically. Ms. Susan Cole, our 
House Reading Clerk--yes, all the clerks and all the staff, they are 
terribly overworked. This has been a grueling process, but they have 
served an integral role in keeping our Republic. We thank them for that 
service. I know we all do.

  I want to thank my dedicated wife of almost 25 years, Kelly. She is 
not here. We couldn't get a flight in time. This happened sort of 
suddenly. We are going to celebrate soon. She spent the last couple of 
weeks on her knees in prayer to the Lord, and she is a little worn out. 
We all are.
  I want to thank our children: Michael, Hannah, Abby, Jack, and Will. 
All of our children sacrifice. All of them do, and we know that. There 
are not a lot of perks to being a Member of Congress' kid. I want to 
thank all of your families as well for what they endure and what they 
have had to endure for the last few weeks. We have been here awhile.
  I want to thank my faithful mother, Jeanne Johnson, who bore me at 
the age of 17; my brothers, Chris and Josh; my sister, Laura; all their 
families and all of our extended family. In Louisiana, family is a big 
deal, and we have a bunch of them.
  I especially want to thank all the extraordinary people of the great 
State of Louisiana. We have never had a Speaker of the House hail from 
our State, and they have been lifting us up. I thank the people of 
Louisiana for the opportunity to serve you in Congress, and I am 
humbled by your continuous support. We will make you proud.
  To my colleagues, I want to thank you all for the trust you have 
instilled in me to lead us in this historic and unprecedented moment 
that we are in. The challenge before us is great, but the time for 
action is now, and I will not let you down.
  I want to say to the American people on behalf of all of us here: We 
hear you. We know the challenges you are facing. We know that there is 
a lot going on in our country, domestically and abroad, and we are 
ready to get to work again to solve those problems, and we will.
  Our mission here is to serve you well, to restore the people's faith 
in this House, in this great and essential institution.
  My dad, it was mentioned my dad was a firefighter. He was an 
assistant chief of the fire department in my hometown of Shreveport, 
Louisiana, a little town in northwest Louisiana.
  On September 17, 1984, when I was 12 years old, he was critically 
burned and permanently disabled in the line of duty. All I ever wanted 
to be when I grew up was the chief of the fire department in 
Shreveport. After the explosion on that fateful day, he nearly died and 
it was a long road back. It changed all of our life trajectories. I am 
the oldest of four kids.

                              {time}  1430

  My dad lived with pain all the rest of his life, for decades more. I 
lost my dad to cancer 3 days before I got elected to Congress. He 
wanted to be there at my election night so badly. I am the first 
college graduate in my family. This was a big deal to him.
  Several weeks after that, in early 2017, it was my freshman term, and 
it fell to me to be in the rostrum one night to serve here as Speaker 
pro tempore. I thought that was a big deal until I figured out that is 
what you do for freshmen late at night.
  I think, if my memory serves, Ms. Jackson Lee was winding down one of 
her long, eloquent speeches--not that I was not enraptured by her 
speech. I looked up at the top of the Chamber there and I saw the face 
of Moses staring down. I just felt in that moment the weight of this 
place, the history that is revered here, and the future that we are 
called to forge, and I really was just kind of almost overwhelmed with 
emotion.
  It occurred to me in that moment that it had been several weeks, and 
I had not had an opportunity yet to grieve my dad's passing. I just had 
a sense that somehow he knew. I had tears come to my eyes, and I was 
standing here, and I am wiping them away, and then it suddenly occurs 
to me the late-night C-SPAN viewers are going to think something is 
very wrong with the new, young Congressman from Louisiana. It wasn't 
Sheila's speech, I am sorry.
  I just knew in that moment that my dad, my father, would be proud of 
me, and I felt that he was. I think all of our parents are proud of 
what we are called to do here.
  I think all the American people at one time had great pride in this 
institution, but right now, that is in jeopardy. We have a challenge 
before us right now to rebuild and restore that trust.
  This is a beautiful country. It is the beauty of America that allows 
a firefighter's kid like me to come here and serve in this sacred 
Chamber, where great men and women have served before all of us and 
strived together to build and then preserve what Lincoln did refer to 
as the last, best hope of man on Earth.
  We stand at a very dangerous time. I am stating the obvious. We all 
know that. The world is in turmoil, but a strong America is good for 
the entire world.
  We are the beacon of freedom, and we must preserve this grand 
experiment in self-governance. It still is. We are only 247 years into 
this grand experiment. We don't know how long it will last, but we do 
know the Founders told us to take good care of it.
  I want to tell all my colleagues here what I told the Republicans in 
that room last night: I don't believe there are any coincidences in a 
matter like this. I believe that Scripture, the Bible, is very clear, 
that God is the one that raises up those in authority. He raised up 
each of you, all of us. I believe that God has ordained and allowed 
each one of us to be brought here for this specific moment and this 
time. This is my belief.
  I believe that each one of us has a huge responsibility today to use 
the gifts that God has given us to serve the extraordinary people of 
this great country--and they deserve it--and to ensure that our 
Republic remains standing as the great beacon of light and hope and 
freedom in a world that desperately needs it.
  It was in 1962 that our national motto, In God We Trust, was adorned 
above this rostrum. If you look at the little guide that they give 
tourists and constituents who come and visit the House, if you turn in 
there to about page 14 in the middle of that guide, it tells you the 
history of this. It says very simply: These words were placed here 
above us. This motto was placed here as a rebuke of the Cold War-era 
philosophy of the Soviet Union. That philosophy was Marxism and 
Communism, which begins with the premise that there is no God.
  This is a critical distinction that is also articulated in our 
Nation's birth certificate. We know the language well, the famous 
second paragraph that we used to have children memorize in

[[Page H5052]]

school, and they don't do that so often anymore, but they should.
  G.K. Chesterton was a famous British philosopher and statesman. He 
said one time: ``America is the only nation in the world founded upon a 
creed.'' He said it is listed with almost ``theological lucidity in the 
Declaration of Independence.''
  What is our creed? ``We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 
all men are created equal,'' not born equal, created equal, and they 
are endowed with the same inalienable rights--life, liberty, the 
pursuit of happiness. That is the creed that has animated our Nation 
since its founding, that has made us the great Nation that we are.
  We are in a time of extraordinary crisis right now. The world needs 
us to be strong. They need us to remember our creed and our admonition.
  Turmoil and violence have rocked the Middle East and Eastern Europe. 
We all know it. Tensions continue to build in the Indo-Pacific. The 
country demands strong leadership of this body, and we must not waver.
  Our Nation's greatest ally in the Middle East is under attack. The 
first bill that I am going to bring to this floor in just a little 
while will be in support of our dear friend Israel, and we are overdue 
in getting that done.
  We are going to show not only Israel but the entire world that the 
barbarism of Hamas that we have all seen play out on our television 
screens is wretched and wrong, and we are going to stand for the good 
in that conflict.
  We have a catastrophe at our southern border. The Senate and the 
White House can no longer ignore the problem. From Texas to New York, 
wave after wave of illegal migrants are stressing our communities to 
their breaking points.
  We know that our streets are being flooded with fentanyl, and in all 
of our communities, children and even adults are dying from it.
  The status quo is unacceptable. Inaction is unacceptable, and we must 
come together and address the broken border. We have to do it.
  The skyrocketing cost of living is unsustainable, and Americans 
should not have to worry about how they are going to feed their family 
every week because they can't afford their groceries anymore. Everybody 
in this room should think about this.
  Here are the stats: Prices have increased over 17 percent in the last 
2 years; credit card interest rates are at the highest level in nearly 
three decades; and mortgage rates are now at a peak we haven't seen 
since 2001. We have to bring relief to the American people by reining 
in Federal spending and bringing down inflation.
  The greatest threat to our national security is our Nation's debt. 
While we have been sitting in this room, the debt has crossed to almost 
$33.6 trillion. In the time that it is going to take me to deliver this 
speech, it will go up another $20 million in debt. It is unsustainable. 
We have to get the country back on track.
  We know this is not going to be an easy task, and tough decisions 
will have to be made, but the consequences if we don't act now are 
unbearable.
  We have a duty to the American people to explain this to them so they 
understand it well. We are going to establish a bipartisan debt 
commission to begin working on this crisis immediately.
  We all know that we also live in a time of bitter partisanship. It 
was noted, and it has been on display here today. When our people are 
losing their faith in government, when they are losing sight of the 
principles that made us the greatest Nation in the history of the 
world, I think we have to be mindful of that. We are going to fight. We 
are going to fight vigorously over our core principles because they are 
at odds a lot of the time now in this modern era. We have to sacrifice 
sometimes our preferences because that is what is necessary in a 
legislative body, but we will defend our core principles to the end.
  In his farewell address, President Reagan explained the secret of his 
rapport with people, and I like to paraphrase his explanation all the 
time. He said: You know, they call me the great communicator, but I 
really wasn't that. I was just communicating great things, and they are 
the same great things that have guided our Nation since its founding.
  What are those great things? I call them the seven core principles of 
American conservatism, but let me concede to you all, I think it is 
really quintessentially the core principles of our Nation. I boil them 
down to individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace 
through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human 
dignity. Those are the foundations that made us the extraordinary 
Nation that we are.
  You and I today are the stewards of those principles, the things that 
have made us the freest, most powerful, most successful Nation in the 
history of the world, the things that have made us truly exceptional.
  In this time of great crisis, it is our duty to work together, as 
previous generations of great leaders have, to face these great 
challenges and solve these great problems.
  I will conclude with this: The job of the Speaker of the House is to 
serve the whole body, and I will, but I have made a commitment to my 
colleagues here that this Speaker's office is going to be known for 
decentralizing the power here. My office is going to be known for 
Members being more involved and having more influence in our processes, 
in all the major decisions that are made here for predictable processes 
and regular order. We owe that to the people.
  I make this commitment to you, to my colleagues here and on the other 
side of the aisle, as well: My office is going to be known for trust 
and transparency and accountability, for good stewardship of the 
people's treasure, for the honesty and integrity that is incumbent upon 
all of us here in the people's House.
  Our system of government is not a perfect system. It has got a lot of 
challenges, but it is still the best one in the world, and we have an 
opportunity to preserve it.
  The last thing I am going to say is a message to the rest of the 
world. They have been watching this drama play out for a few weeks. We 
have learned a lot of lessons, but do you know what? Through adversity, 
it makes you stronger. We want our allies around the world to know that 
this body of lawmakers is reporting again to our duty stations. Let the 
enemies of freedom around the world hear us loud and clear: The 
people's House is back in business.
  We will do our duty here; we will serve the people well; we will 
govern well; and we will make everyone proud of this institution again. 
We are going to fight every day to make sure that is true.
  I look forward to the days ahead. I genuinely believe in my heart 
that the best days of America are still ahead of us. God bless you, and 
God bless the United States of America.
  I am now ready to take the oath of office.
  I ask the Dean of the House of Representatives, the Honorable Hal 
Rogers of Kentucky, to administer the oath of office.
  Mr. ROGERS of Kentucky. When our Founding Fathers chose a bold, new, 
and innovative self-rule government, it was met with deep skepticism by 
the world's monarchs. They said self-rule is only a dream. Our Founders 
said they are right; it is the American Dream.
  Now it is our dream. We are in charge. The speakership of the United 
States House of Representatives is the crucial outpost for the well-
being of the people's government, the keeper, if you will, of the 
dream.
  Sir, if you wish to assume this awesome responsibility, please raise 
your right hand.
  Mr. Rogers of Kentucky then administered the oath of office to Mr. 
Johnson of Louisiana, 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.

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