[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 75-79]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          ELECTION OF SPEAKER

  The CLERK. Pursuant to law and precedent, the next order of business 
is the election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 
112th Congress.
  Nominations are now in order.
  The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling).
  Mr. HENSARLING. Madam Clerk, every Congress represents a sacred 
responsibility to write a new and greater chapter in our Republic's 
history. Be it providence or destiny, a unique man of uniquely American 
values is now called to lead this effort.
  At a time when far too many of our countrymen remain unemployed, a 
former small businessman will lead the House to pass policies to 
encourage job creation.
  At a time when all agree our Nation is on an unsustainable fiscal 
course, a fiscal reformer will ensure that this House never mortgages 
the torch of liberty in order to pay our debts.
  At a time when too many doubt that their children can enjoy a 
brighter future in our country, he has lived the American dream, and 
will protect it for our posterity like few others before him.
  This proud son of Ohio--one of 12 children born into a working-class 
family--has waited tables, mopped floors, tended bar, worked 
construction, worked his way to a college degree at night school, led a 
thriving company. And through his faith, his hard work, his values, he 
is now poised to become the next Speaker of the House of 
Representatives. He knows firsthand that unlimited opportunity can only 
arise from limited constitutional government.
  Madam Clerk, as chairman of the Republican Conference, I am directed 
by the unanimous vote of that conference to present for election to the 
Office of Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 112th 
Congress the name of the Honorable John A. Boehner, a Representative-
elect from the State of Ohio.
  The CLERK. The Clerk now recognizes the gentleman from Connecticut 
(Mr. Larson).
  Mr. LARSON of Connecticut. Madam Clerk, as chairman of the Democratic 
Caucus, I am directed by the vote of that caucus to present for 
election to the Office of Speaker of the House of Representatives for 
the 112th Congress a person who gives me great honor and privilege, who 
has led with decency and dignity. I submit on behalf of this caucus the 
name of the Honorable Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi, a Representative-elect 
from the great State of California.
  The CLERK. The names of the Honorable John A. Boehner, a 
Representative-elect from the State of Ohio, and the Honorable Nancy 
Pelosi, a Representative-elect from the State of California, have been 
placed in nomination.
  Are there further nominations?
  There being no further nominations, the Clerk appoints the following 
tellers:
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Daniel E. Lungren);
  The gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady);
  The gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Kaptur); and
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
  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

[[Page 76]]

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. 2]

                              BOEHNER--241

     Adams
     Aderholt
     Akin
     Alexander
     Amash
     Austria
     Bachmann
     Bachus
     Barletta
     Bartlett
     Barton (TX)
     Bass (NH)
     Benishek
     Berg
     Biggert
     Bilbray
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Bonner
     Bono Mack
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Brooks
     Broun (GA)
     Buchanan
     Bucshon
     Buerkle
     Burgess
     Burton (IN)
     Calvert
     Camp
     Campbell
     Canseco
     Cantor
     Capito
     Carter
     Cassidy
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Coble
     Coffman (CO)
     Cole
     Conaway
     Cravaack
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Davis (KY)
     Denham
     Dent
     DesJarlais
     Diaz-Balart
     Dold
     Dreier
     Duffy
     Duncan (SC)
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Emerson
     Farenthold
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Flake
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Gallegly
     Gardner
     Garrett
     Gerlach
     Gibbs
     Gibson
     Gingrey (GA)
     Gohmert
     Goodlatte
     Gosar
     Gowdy
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffin (AR)
     Griffith (VA)
     Grimm
     Guinta
     Guthrie
     Hall
     Hanna
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Hastings (WA)
     Hayworth
     Heck
     Heller
     Hensarling
     Herger
     Herrera Beutler
     Huelskamp
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurt
     Issa
     Jenkins
     Johnson (IL)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jones
     Jordan
     Kelly
     King (IA)
     King (NY)
     Kingston
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     Labrador
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Landry
     Lankford
     Latham
     LaTourette
     Latta
     Lee (NY)
     Lewis (CA)
     LoBiondo
     Long
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     Lungren, Daniel E.
     Mack
     Manzullo
     Marchant
     Marino
     McCarthy (CA)
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McCotter
     McHenry
     McKeon
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     Meehan
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Miller, Gary
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (PA)
     Myrick
     Neugebauer
     Noem
     Nugent
     Nunes
     Nunnelee
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Paul
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Pence
     Petri
     Pitts
     Platts
     Poe (TX)
     Pompeo
     Posey
     Price (GA)
     Quayle
     Reed
     Rehberg
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rigell
     Rivera
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rogers (MI)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross (FL)
     Royce
     Runyan
     Ryan (WI)
     Scalise
     Schilling
     Schmidt
     Schock
     Schweikert
     Scott (SC)
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Southerland
     Stearns
     Stivers
     Stutzman
     Sullivan
     Terry
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tipton
     Turner
     Upton
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walsh (IL)
     Webster
     West
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Wolf
     Womack
     Woodall
     Yoder
     Young (AK)
     Young (FL)
     Young (IN)

                              PELOSI--173

     Ackerman
     Andrews
     Baca
     Baldwin
     Bass (CA)
     Becerra
     Berkley
     Berman
     Bishop (NY)
     Blumenauer
     Boswell
     Brady (PA)
     Braley (IA)
     Brown (FL)
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Carnahan
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Castor (FL)
     Chandler
     Chu
     Cicilline
     Clarke (MI)
     Clarke (NY)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly (VA)
     Conyers
     Costello
     Courtney
     Critz
     Crowley
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis (IL)
     DeGette
     DeLauro
     Deutch
     Dicks
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Engel
     Eshoo
     Farr
     Fattah
     Filner
     Frank (MA)
     Fudge
     Garamendi
     Gonzalez
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hanabusa
     Harman
     Hastings (FL)
     Heinrich
     Higgins
     Himes
     Hinchey
     Hinojosa
     Hirono
     Holt
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Inslee
     Israel
     Jackson (IL)
     Jackson Lee (TX)
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kildee
     Kucinich
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lee (CA)
     Levin
     Lewis (GA)
     Loebsack
     Lofgren, Zoe
     Lowey
     Lujan
     Lynch
     Maloney
     Markey
     Matsui
     McCarthy (NY)
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Meeks
     Miller (NC)
     Miller, George
     Moore
     Moran
     Murphy (CT)
     Nadler
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Olver
     Owens
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Pastor (AZ)
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree (ME)
     Polis
     Price (NC)
     Quigley
     Rahall
     Rangel
     Reyes
     Richardson
     Richmond
     Rothman (NJ)
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schwartz
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell
     Sherman
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Stark
     Sutton
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Tierney
     Tonko
     Towns
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Velazquez
     Visclosky
     Walz (MN)
     Wasserman Schultz
     Waters
     Watt
     Waxman
     Weiner
     Welch
     Wilson (FL)
     Woolsey
     Wu
     Yarmuth

                               SHULER--11

     Altmire
     Boren
     Cooper
     Donnelly (IN)
     Holden
     Kissell
     Matheson
     McIntyre
     Michaud
     Ross (AR)
     Shuler

                             LEWIS (GA)--2

     Barrow
     Giffords
       

                                COSTA--1

       
     Cardoza
       

                               CARDOZA--1

       
     Costa
       

                               COOPER--1

       
     Kind
       

                               KAPTUR--1

       
     Lipinski
       

                                HOYER--1

       
     Schrader
       

                        ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--1

       
     Bishop (GA)
       

                             NOT VOTING--2

     Boehner
     DeFazio

                              {time}  1341

  The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number 
of votes cast by surname is 432, of which the Honorable John A. Boehner 
of the State of Ohio has received 241, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of 
the State of California has received 173, the Honorable Dennis Cardoza 
of the State of California has received 1, the Honorable Jim Cooper of 
the State of Tennessee has received 1, the Honorable Jim Costa of the 
State of California has received 1, the Honorable Steny Hoyer of the 
State of Maryland has received 1, the Honorable Marcy Kaptur of the 
State of Ohio has received 1, the Honorable John Lewis of the State of 
Georgia has received 2, the Honorable Heath Shuler of the State of 
North Carolina has received 11, with 1 recorded as ``present.''
  Therefore, the Honorable John A. Boehner of the State of Ohio, having 
received the majority of the votes cast, is duly elected Speaker of the 
House of Representatives for the 112th Congress.
  The Clerk appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair:
  The gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor)
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy)
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling)
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions)
  The gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson)
  The gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Price)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra)
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers)
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter)
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen)
  The gentlewoman from South Dakota (Mrs. Noem)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller)
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Scott)
  The gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro)
  The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier)
  The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz)
  The gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam)
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass)

[[Page 77]]

  And the Members of the Ohio delegation:
  Ms. Kaptur
  Mr. LaTourette
  Mr. Kucinich
  Mr. Tiberi
  Mr. Ryan
  Mr. Turner
  Mrs. Schmidt
  Ms. Sutton
  Mr. Latta
  Mr. Jordan
  Ms. Fudge
  Mr. Austria
  Mr. Chabot
  Mr. Gibbs
  Mr. Johnson
  Mr. Renacci, and
  Mr. Stivers
  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 112th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by 
the Committee of Escort.
  Ms. PELOSI. It is a high honor to welcome all Members of Congress and 
their families to the House of Representatives.
  To the new Members and their families, a special congratulations and 
welcome to you. We all wish you great success. Congratulations to you.
  We all come here to represent our constituents. Our respect for each 
other is founded in our respect for the people that we represent.
  This month, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 
inauguration of John F. Kennedy as President of the United States.
  As a student, I was there in the freezing cold. For some of you, you 
have read about it in the history books, but to Bob and me, it was our 
youth.
  Right, Bob?
  I was there in the freezing cold and heard the stirring address that 
inspired generations of Americans to public service.
  In his 1962 State of the Union Address, right from here, from this 
dais, President Kennedy said to the Congress: the Constitution makes us 
all trustees of the American people, custodians of the American 
heritage.
  Today, as we take the oath of office to support and defend our 
Constitution, we do so as trustees of America's best hopes and as 
custodians of America's highest values. However we may differ, let us 
never lose sight of our common laws for this exceptional Nation and our 
shared obligation to the way forward.
  I started off by acknowledging and welcoming and congratulating the 
Members and their families. Our families have always helped light the 
way forward for all of us. With a full and grateful heart, I want to 
thank my family: my husband of 47 years, Paul Pelosi; my children, 
Nancy Corinne, Christine, Jacqueline, Paul, and Alexandra; and my 
grandchildren. I am proud, too, to be from a large family--the youngest 
of seven--and to acknowledge my brother, Thomas D'Alesandro III, the 
former mayor of Baltimore, Maryland.
  Welcome, Thomas.
  Let me thank my constituents in San Francisco, whom I am proud to 
represent in the spirit of the anthem of our city of Saint Francis--the 
song of Saint Francis--and I am so pleased that that was recited by all 
of us at the interdenominational service this morning.
  I am grateful to my colleagues for their commitment to equality, 
which is both our heritage and our hope, giving me the historic honor 
of being the first woman Speaker of the House of Representatives. Now 
more doors are wide open for all of America's daughters and 
granddaughters.
  I am also honored to be the first Italian-American Speaker. Like many 
Americans, our heritage is a source of great pride and of deeply 
ingrained patriotism which summons us to build a stronger Nation. We 
recognize that the proudest title we will ever hold is not accorded on 
this floor. It is the simple dignity of the title ``American''--part of 
our great democracy that continues to be the greatest hope of liberty 
and progress for the entire world.
  When I was first elected Speaker, I called the House to order on 
behalf of America's children; and now, as I prepare to hand the gavel 
over to Speaker Boehner, I know one thing above all else: Thanks to 
you, we have stood with those children and for their families--for 
their health, their education, the safety of the air they breathe, the 
water they drink, and the food they eat.
  Thanks to you, for those children and their families, we have made 
the largest ever commitment to making college more affordable, enacted 
Wall Street reform with the greatest consumer protections in history, 
and passed a strong Patients' Bill of Rights. It means that children 
with preexisting conditions can get care; young people can stay on 
their parents' policies until they are 26; pregnant women and breast 
and prostate cancer patients can no longer be thrown off their 
insurance; our seniors are paying less for their medical prescriptions. 
Taken together, it will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion.
  Thanks to you, thanks to all of us, we advanced the defining American 
cause of ``equality for all'' from the first days of the Congress with 
the passage of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to the last days with 
the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy.
  And thanks to you, we achieved more for America's veterans than at 
any time since the passage of the GI Bill of Rights in 1944. Because of 
our courageous troops and our veterans, we will always be the land of 
the free and the home of the brave.
  Let us now salute our men and women in uniform.
  To honor them, we must build a future worthy of their sacrifice, 
which includes good-paying jobs when they come home. It is not enough 
that we staved off a depression. Much more needs to be done to open up 
the American Dream and lift up the American economy. The only 
acceptable outcome is to fully and finally restore fair prosperity that 
good-paying jobs provide.

                              {time}  1400

  Our most important job is to fight for American jobs, to make it in 
America--Steny--and so Democrats will judge what comes before Congress, 
from either side of the aisle, as to whether it creates jobs, 
strengthens the middle class, and reduces the deficit, not burdening 
future generations. When the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, 
and the new Republican majority--and congratulations, again--come 
forward with solutions that will address these American challenges, you 
will find us a willing partner.
  As we congratulate Speaker Boehner and our Republican colleagues, as 
we wish them success, we must stand ready to find common ground, to 
solve problems, and to build a more secure future for all Americans.
  And as we take the oath of office today to support and defend the 
Constitution, we must be ever mindful that it makes us trustees for the 
American people, with an obligation to do what is right for them, and 
custodian of the American heritage--our great values.
  Thank you, my colleagues, for the honor of serving in that tradition 
as the Speaker of the House of Representatives. I thank you, my 
colleagues.
  Again, I want to congratulate all of the new Members of Congress, all 
of you who have been reelected, but especially the new majority and the 
new Speaker of the House, John Boehner.
  Now, the House will be led by a proud son of Ohio, a man of 
conviction, a public servant of resolve, and a legislative leader of 
skill. Speaker Boehner is a leader who has earned the confidence of his 
conference and the respect of his colleagues in the Congress. He is a 
man of faith: faith in God, faith in our country, and faith in his 
family.
  It is very important for us, in acknowledging that, for us to 
acknowledge his family, his wife, Mrs. Boehner. As we congratulate him, 
we congratulate and thank Debbie for sharing him with us and Lindsay 
and Trisha and, indeed, the entire Boehner family. Thank you and 
congratulations to all of you.
  Now, recognizing our roles under the Constitution, united in our love 
of our country, we now engage in a strong symbol of American democracy, 
the

[[Page 78]]

peaceful and respectful exchange of power. I now pass this gavel, which 
is larger than most gavels here, but the gavel of choice of Speaker 
Boehner--I now pass this gavel and the sacred trust that goes with it 
to the new Speaker. God bless you, Speaker Boehner. God bless this 
Congress and God bless America.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Thank you. It's still just me.
  Madam Speaker, thank you for your kind words, and thank you for your 
service to this institution.
  Secondly, I want to welcome all of our new Members and their families 
on what is a very special day. All of us who have been here remember 
vividly that first day that we served here, and I think any of us can 
tell you that you will never forget today.
  My own family is here as well. I think you just met Debbie, and next 
to Debbie are Lindsay and Trisha, our two daughters. Welcome. We're 
glad that you're here. Ten of my 11 brothers and sisters and sisters-
in-law and brothers-in-law are here as well, and my poor brother Greg 
who runs a restaurant down in Georgia was unable to be here, but I 
wanted to acknowledge him.
  I also want to acknowledge some of my close friends that are here 
from the other side of the Capitol: Mitch McConnell, the Senate 
Republican leader is here; and two of my best buds, Richard Burr from 
North Carolina, Saxby Chambliss from Georgia, along with, you know, my 
buddy Latham. Thank you for being here, gentlemen. I appreciate it.
  I am honored and humbled to represent a great, hardworking community 
in Congress. The people of Ohio's Eighth Congressional District 
continue to afford me the privilege to serve, for which I am deeply 
grateful.
  We gather here today at a time of great challenges, when nearly one 
in 10 of our neighbors is out of work. Health care costs are still 
rising for American families. Our spending has caught up with us, and 
our debt soon will eclipse the entire size of our national economy. 
Hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress. 
No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the 
road. The people voted to end business as usual; and, today, we begin 
to carry out their instructions.
  In the Catholic faith, we enter into a season of service by having 
ashes marked on our head. The ashes remind us that life, in all of its 
forms, is very fragile; our time on this Earth fleeting. But as the 
ashes are delivered, we hear those humbling words: remember, you are 
dust and to dust you shall return.
  The American people have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories 
to just how temporary the privilege of serving is. They've reminded us 
that everything here is on loan from them. That includes this gavel, 
which I accept cheerfully and gratefully, knowing that I am but its 
caretaker. After all, this is the people's House. This is their 
Congress. It's about them, not about us. What they want is a government 
that's honest, accountable, and responsive to their needs, a government 
that respects individual liberty, honors our heritage, and bows before 
the public that it serves.
  Let's start with the rules package that the House will consider 
today. If passed, it will change how this institution operates, with an 
emphasis on real transparency, greater accountability, and a renewed 
focus on our Constitution. Our aim will be to give the government back 
to the American people.

                              {time}  1410

  In seeking this goal, we will part with some of the rituals that have 
come to characterize this institution under majorities, both Republican 
and Democrat alike. We will dispense with the conventional wisdom that 
bigger bills are always better, that fast legislating is good 
legislating, that allowing amendments and open debate makes the 
legislative process ``less efficient'' than our Forefathers had 
intended.
  These misconceptions have been the basis for the rituals of modern 
Washington. In my opinion, the American people have not been served 
well by them. Today, mindful of the lessons of the past, we open a new 
chapter.
  Legislators and the public will have 3 days to read a bill before it 
comes to a vote. Legislation will be more focused, properly 
scrutinized, and constitutionally sound. Committees, once bloated, will 
be smaller with a renewed mission, including oversight. Old rules that 
have made it easy to increase spending will be replaced by new rules 
that make it easier to cut spending. And we will start by cutting 
Congress' own budget.
  Above all else, we will welcome the battle of ideas, encourage it, 
and engage in it--openly, honestly, and respectfully. As the Chamber 
closest to the people, the House works best when it is allowed to work 
its will. And I ask all Members of this body to join me in recognizing 
this common truth.
  To my colleagues in the majority, my message is this: We will honor 
our pledge to America, built through a process of listening to the 
American people. We will stand firm on our constitutional principles 
that built our party and built a great Nation. We will do these things, 
however, in a manner that restores and respects the time-honored right 
of the minority to an honest debate and a fair, open process.
  And to my friends in the minority, I offer a commitment: Openness, 
once a tradition of this institution but increasingly scarce in recent 
decades, will be the new standard. There were no open rules in the 
House in the last Congress. In this one, there will be many.
  But with this restored openness, however, comes a restored 
responsibility. You will not have the right to willfully disrupt the 
proceedings of the people's House, but you will always have the right 
to a robust debate in open process that allows you to represent your 
constituents, to make your case, offer alternatives, and be heard.
  In time I believe this framework will allow the House to be a place 
where the people's will is done. It will also, I hope, rebuild trust 
among us and the people we serve and, in so doing, provide a guidepost 
for those who follow us in the service of our Nation.
  To our new Members, Democrat and Republican alike, as you take the 
oath today, I know that you do so mindful of this shared goal and the 
trust placed in you by your constituents.
  As Speaker, I feel part of my job is to help each of you do your job 
well, regardless of your political party. My hope is that every new 
Member, and, indeed, every Member, will be comfortable with approaching 
me with regard to matters of the House.
  We will not always get it right, and we will not always agree on what 
is right. There is a great deal of scar tissue that has been built up 
on both sides of the aisle. We can't ignore that, nor should we. My 
belief has always been that we can disagree without being disagreeable. 
That is why it's critical that this institution operate in a manner 
that permits a free exchange of ideas and resolves our honest 
differences through a fair debate and vote. We may have different, 
sometimes very different, ideas about how to go about achieving the 
common good. It is why we serve.
  Let us now move forward, humble in our demeanor, steady in our 
principles, dedicated to proving worthy of the trust and confidence 
that has been placed in each of us. If we brace ourselves to do our 
duty and do what we say we're going to do, I don't think that, 
together, there is anything that we can't accomplish, again, on behalf 
of the people we serve.
  More than a country, America is an idea; and it's our job to pass 
that posterity of blessings that have been bestowed on us to those 
generations that follow us.
  I want to wish all of you the very best. Welcome to the people's 
House. Welcome to the 112th Congress.
  I am now ready to take the oath of the office, and I ask the Dean of 
the House, the Honorable John Dingell of Michigan, to administer the 
oath of office.
  Mr. Dingell then administered the oath of office to Mr. Boehner of 
Ohio, 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

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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. DINGELL. Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.

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