[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 29-33]
[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 
114th Congress.
  Nominations are now in order.
  The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris 
Rodgers).
  Mrs. McMORRIS RODGERS. Madam Clerk, it is an honor to address the 
House at the start of the 114th Congress. If there is one thing I have 
learned as a legislator, it is that we cannot achieve great things 
alone. It takes a willingness to come together, find common ground, and 
advance solutions that make people's lives better. In that spirit, I 
welcome America's new Congress, one that will chart the path towards a 
government that is more open, transparent, and trustworthy.
  To lead us on this path, the Republican Conference has nominated a 
man of great character and conviction. The second oldest of 12 
children, he grew up mopping floors and waiting tables at his family's 
tavern. He ran a successful small business. He was elected to the Ohio 
State House and then this House, where he served as committee chairman, 
Republican Conference chairman, minority leader, majority leader, and 
Speaker. He is a reformer who works every day to make government more

[[Page 30]]

accountable to the people. For all of this, he calls himself a regular 
guy with a big job; and that job, he says, is to listen, because if we 
listen to the people, listen to one another, there is no telling what 
we can accomplish together for the future of this great country.
  Madam Clerk, as chair of the Republican Conference and by unanimous 
vote of that conference, I present for election to the office of 
Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress the name 
of the Honorable John A. Boehner, our dear friend and colleague, a 
Representative-elect from the State of Ohio.
  The CLERK. The Clerk now recognizes the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Becerra).
  Mr. BECERRA. Madam Clerk, first I would like to recognize each and 
every Member who has taken to this floor to represent the people of the 
United States and say congratulations to them and to all of their loved 
ones who are here witnessing this solemn event where we will have an 
opportunity to lead our country. We say congratulations to them as 
well.
  Madam Clerk, I have the distinct pleasure of nominating someone who 
is a proven leader, someone who already will go down in history as one 
of the most effective Speakers the House of Representatives has ever 
seen, someone who has shown that it doesn't take a man to get the job 
done, that it can be done by an American who is devoted to this 
country, someone who knows her heritage, someone who has worked 
tirelessly for the American people, but someone who understands first 
and foremost that the job of this House is to get things done.
  I have been empowered, Madam Clerk, to nominate on behalf of all 
working Americans, those Americans who still believe in the American 
Dream, to put the name of the gentlewoman from San Francisco who will 
serve again in the House of Representatives, put her name forward for 
the office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th 
Congress. I, therefore, at this point put before you the name of Nancy 
Pelosi to serve as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
  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?
  Mr. MASSIE. Madam Clerk, I present for election to the office of 
Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th Congress the name 
of the Honorable Ted Yoho, a great defender of the Constitution and 
Representative-elect from the great State of Florida.
  The CLERK. Are there further nominations?
  Mr. BRIDENSTINE. Madam Clerk, I present for the election of the 
office of Speaker of the House of Representatives for the 114th 
Congress the name of Judge Louie Gohmert, a Representative-elect from 
the great State of Texas.
  Madam Clerk, Judge Gohmert proudly serves the First District of 
Texas. He is serving his fifth term in the House of Representatives. 
Prior to being elected to serve in Congress, he was elected to three 
terms as district judge in Smith County and was appointed by Governor 
Rick Perry to be the chief justice of the 12th Court of Appeals.
  Madam Clerk, this is not about Judge Gohmert; it is about 
establishing a strong check on the executive branch. I think a quote 
applies to my friend Louie Gohmert. It is from Mark Twain. He said:

       In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, 
     and he is brave and hated and scorned. When his cause 
     succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be 
     a patriot.

  My constituents from the First District of Oklahoma are looking for 
this kind of patriot.
  The CLERK. Are there further nominations?

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. KING of Iowa. Madam Clerk, I rise to place in a nomination for 
election to the constitutional office of Speaker of the United States 
House of Representatives a man who has served as speaker of the 
statehouse, a man who respects this institution, a man who understands 
that power and principle cannot coexist without recognizing the 
sanctity of each Member's vote in this House of Representatives, a man 
who will restore this institution of the House of Representatives. I 
place in nomination the name of Daniel Webster, a Representative-elect 
from the great State of Florida.
  The CLERK. Are there further nominations?
  The names of the Honorable John A. Boehner, a Representative-elect 
from the State of Ohio; the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, a Representative-
elect from the State of California; the Honorable Ted Yoho, a 
Representative-elect from the State of Florida; the Honorable Louie 
Gohmert, a Representative-elect from the State of Texas; and the 
Honorable Daniel Webster, a Representative-elect from the State of 
Florida, have been placed in nomination.
  Are there further nominations?
  There being no further nominations, the Clerk appoints the following 
tellers:
  The gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller);
  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 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--216

     Abraham
     Aderholt
     Allen
     Amodei
     Barletta
     Barr
     Barton
     Benishek
     Bilirakis
     Bishop (MI)
     Bishop (UT)
     Black
     Blackburn
     Bost
     Boustany
     Brady (TX)
     Brooks (AL)
     Brooks (IN)
     Buchanan
     Buck
     Bucshon
     Burgess
     Byrne
     Calvert
     Carter (GA)
     Chabot
     Chaffetz
     Coffman
     Cole
     Collins (GA)
     Collins (NY)
     Comstock
     Conaway
     Cook
     Costello (PA)
     Cramer
     Crawford
     Crenshaw
     Culberson
     Curbelo (FL)
     Davis, Rodney
     Denham
     Dent
     DeSantis
     Diaz-Balart
     Dold
     Duffy
     Duncan (TN)
     Ellmers
     Emmer
     Farenthold
     Fincher
     Fitzpatrick
     Fleischmann
     Fleming
     Flores
     Forbes
     Fortenberry
     Foxx
     Franks (AZ)
     Frelinghuysen
     Gibbs
     Goodlatte
     Granger
     Graves (GA)
     Graves (LA)
     Graves (MO)
     Griffith
     Grothman
     Guinta
     Guthrie
     Hanna
     Hardy
     Harper
     Harris
     Hartzler
     Heck (NV)
     Hensarling
     Herrera Beutler
     Hice (GA)
     Hill
     Holding
     Hudson
     Huizenga (MI)
     Hultgren
     Hunter
     Hurd (TX)
     Hurt (VA)
     Issa
     Jenkins (KS)
     Jenkins (WV)
     Johnson (OH)
     Johnson, Sam
     Jolly
     Jordan
     Joyce
     Katko
     Kelly (PA)
     King (NY)
     Kinzinger (IL)
     Kline
     Knight
     Labrador
     LaMalfa
     Lamborn
     Lance
     Latta
     LoBiondo
     Long
     Loudermilk
     Love
     Lucas
     Luetkemeyer
     Lummis
     MacArthur
     Marchant
     Marino
     McCarthy
     McCaul
     McClintock
     McHenry
     McKinley
     McMorris Rodgers
     McSally
     Meehan
     Messer
     Mica
     Miller (FL)
     Miller (MI)
     Moolenaar
     Mooney (WV)
     Mullin
     Mulvaney
     Murphy (PA)
     Neugebauer
     Newhouse
     Noem
     Nunes
     Olson
     Palazzo
     Paulsen
     Pearce
     Perry
     Pittenger
     Pitts
     Poe (TX)
     Poliquin
     Pompeo
     Price (GA)
     Ratcliffe
     Reed
     Reichert
     Renacci
     Ribble
     Rice (SC)
     Roby
     Roe (TN)
     Rogers (AL)
     Rogers (KY)
     Rohrabacher
     Rokita
     Rooney (FL)
     Ros-Lehtinen
     Roskam
     Ross
     Rothfus
     Rouzer
     Royce
     Russell
     Ryan (WI)
     Salmon
     Sanford
     Scalise
     Schock
     Schweikert
     Scott, Austin
     Sensenbrenner
     Sessions
     Shimkus
     Shuster
     Simpson
     Smith (MO)
     Smith (NE)
     Smith (NJ)
     Smith (TX)
     Stefanik
     Stewart
     Stivers
     Thompson (PA)
     Thornberry
     Tiberi
     Tipton
     Trott
     Turner
     Upton
     Valadao
     Wagner
     Walberg
     Walden
     Walker
     Walorski
     Walters, Mimi
     Wenstrup
     Westerman
     Westmoreland
     Whitfield
     Williams
     Wilson (SC)
     Wittman
     Womack

[[Page 31]]


     Woodall
     Yoder
     Young (IA)
     Young (IN)
     Zeldin
     Zinke

                              PELOSI--164

     Adams
     Aguilar
     Ashford
     Bass
     Beatty
     Becerra
     Bera
     Beyer
     Bishop (GA)
     Blumenauer
     Bonamici
     Boyle (PA)
     Brady (PA)
     Brown (FL)
     Brownley (CA)
     Bustos
     Butterfield
     Capps
     Capuano
     Cardenas
     Carney
     Carson (IN)
     Cartwright
     Castor (FL)
     Castro (TX)
     Chu (CA)
     Clark (MA)
     Clay
     Cleaver
     Clyburn
     Cohen
     Connolly
     Conyers
     Courtney
     Cuellar
     Cummings
     Davis (CA)
     Davis, Danny
     DeFazio
     DeGette
     Delaney
     DeLauro
     DelBene
     DeSaulnier
     Deutch
     Dingell
     Doggett
     Doyle (PA)
     Edwards
     Ellison
     Eshoo
     Esty
     Farr
     Fattah
     Foster
     Frankel (FL)
     Fudge
     Gabbard
     Gallego
     Garamendi
     Grayson
     Green, Al
     Green, Gene
     Grijalva
     Gutierrez
     Hahn
     Hastings
     Heck (WA)
     Himes
     Hinojosa
     Honda
     Hoyer
     Huffman
     Israel
     Jackson Lee
     Jeffries
     Johnson (GA)
     Johnson, E. B.
     Kaptur
     Keating
     Kelly (IL)
     Kennedy
     Kildee
     Kilmer
     Kind
     Kirkpatrick
     Kuster
     Langevin
     Larsen (WA)
     Larson (CT)
     Lawrence
     Lee
     Levin
     Lewis
     Lieu (CA)
     Loebsack
     Lofgren
     Lowenthal
     Lujan Grisham (NM)
     Lujan, Ben Ray (NM)
     Lynch
     Matsui
     McCollum
     McDermott
     McGovern
     McNerney
     Moore
     Moulton
     Murphy (FL)
     Napolitano
     Neal
     Norcross
     O'Rourke
     Pallone
     Pascrell
     Payne
     Pelosi
     Perlmutter
     Peters
     Peterson
     Pingree
     Pocan
     Polis
     Quigley
     Rice (NY)
     Richmond
     Roybal-Allard
     Ruiz
     Ruppersberger
     Rush
     Ryan (OH)
     Sanchez, Linda T.
     Sanchez, Loretta
     Sarbanes
     Schakowsky
     Schiff
     Schrader
     Scott (VA)
     Scott, David
     Serrano
     Sewell (AL)
     Sherman
     Sires
     Slaughter
     Smith (WA)
     Speier
     Swalwell (CA)
     Takai
     Takano
     Thompson (CA)
     Thompson (MS)
     Titus
     Torres
     Tsongas
     Van Hollen
     Vargas
     Veasey
     Vela
     Visclosky
     Walz
     Wasserman Schultz
     Watson Coleman
     Wilson (FL)
     Yarmuth

                            WEBSTER (FL)--12

     Blum
     Garrett
     Gosar
     Huelskamp
     Jones
     King (IA)
     Meadows
     Nugent
     Posey
     Rigell
     Stutzman
     Webster (FL)

                               GOHMERT--3

     Bridenstine
     Gohmert
     Weber (TX)

                                YOHO--2

     Massie
     Yoho
       

                               JORDAN--2

     Amash
     DesJarlais
       

                             DUNCAN (SC)--1

       
     Brat
       

                           HON. RAND PAUL--1

       
     Clawson (FL)
       

                            COLIN POWELL--1

       
     Cooper
       

                                GOWDY--1

       
     Duncan (SC)
       

                              MCCARTHY--1

       
     Gibson
       

                               COOPER--1

       
     Graham
       

                               DEFAZIO--1

       
     Lipinski
       

                         HON. JEFF SESSIONS--1

       
     Palmer
       

                                LEWIS--1

       
     Sinema
       

                               PRESENT--1

       
     Babin
       

                             NOT VOTING--25

     Boehner
     Carter (TX)
     Cicilline
     Clarke (NY)
     Costa
     Crowley
     Duckworth
     Engel
     Gowdy
     Higgins
     Lowey
     Maloney, Carolyn
     Maloney, Sean
     Meeks
     Meng
     Nadler
     Nolan
     Nunnelee
     Price (NC)
     Rangel
     Tonko
     Velazquez
     Waters, Maxine
     Welch
     Young (AK)

                              {time}  1402

  The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number 
of votes cast is 408, of which the Honorable John A. Boehner of the 
State of Ohio has received 216, the Honorable Nancy Pelosi of the State 
of California has received 164, the Honorable Daniel Webster of the 
State of Florida has received 12, the Honorable Louie Gohmert of the 
State of Texas has received 3, the Honorable Ted S. Yoho of the State 
of Florida has received 2, the Honorable Jim Jordan of the State of 
Ohio has received 2, the Honorable Jim Cooper of the State of Tennessee 
has received 1, the Honorable Peter A. DeFazio of the State of Oregon 
has received 1, the Honorable Jeff Duncan of the State of South 
Carolina has received 1, the Honorable Trey Gowdy of the State of South 
Carolina has received 1, the Honorable John Lewis of the State of 
Georgia has received 1, the Honorable Kevin McCarthy of the State of 
California has received 1, the Honorable Rand Paul of the Commonwealth 
of Kentucky has received 1, the Honorable Jeff Sessions of the State of 
Alabama has received 1, and the Honorable Colin Powell has received 1, 
with 1 recorded as ``present.''
  Therefore, the Honorable John A. Boehner of the State of Ohio, having 
received a majority of the votes cast, is duly elected Speaker of the 
House of Representatives for the 114th Congress.
  The Clerk appoints the following committee to escort the Speaker-
elect to the chair:
  The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy)
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Pelosi)
  The gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise)
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer)
  The gentlewoman from Washington (Mrs. McMorris Rodgers)
  The gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn)
  The gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden)
  The gentleman from California (Mr. Becerra)
  The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Messer)
  The gentleman from New York (Mr. Israel)
  The gentlewoman from Kansas (Ms. Jenkins)
  The gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro)
  The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Foxx)
  The gentlewoman from Maryland (Ms. Edwards)
  The gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Mimi Walters)
  The gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Van Hollen)
  The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sessions)
  The gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Ben Ray Lujan)
  The gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry)
  The gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Adams)
  And the Members of the Ohio delegation:
  Ms. Kaptur
  Mr. Chabot
  Mr. Tiberi
  Mr. Ryan
  Mr. Turner
  Mr. Jordan
  Mr. Latta
  Ms. Fudge
  Mr. Gibbs
  Mr. Johnson
  Mr. Renacci
  Mr. Stivers
  Mrs. Beatty
  Mr. Joyce, and
  Mr. Wenstrup
  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 114th Congress, who was escorted to the chair by 
the Committee of Escort.
  Ms. PELOSI. My colleagues of the United States House of 
Representatives, it is a high honor to welcome you and your families to 
the 114th Congress.
  To our newest Members, this is a special pleasure to give you an 
exceptional welcome and congratulations. Welcome to our newest Members.
  As was indicated by the vote, many of our colleagues from the State 
of New York are not with us because they are attending the funeral of 
Governor Mario Cuomo. I extend condolences to our colleagues from the 
State of New York and have extended the sympathies of many in this body 
to Governor Cuomo's widow, Matilda, and to his family. As an Italian 
American, I am especially proud of his leadership and extend sympathies 
to his family. Thank you, Cuomo family. Thank you, New York delegation.
  None of us would be standing here without the support and the 
strength of our families. Today, I am going to

[[Page 32]]

thank my dear husband of 51 years, Paul Pelosi, and my five children 
and nine grandchildren, all the Pelosis and D'Alesandros. Let all of us 
applaud all of our families.
  To my Democratic colleagues and to my constituents in San Francisco, 
I thank you for the privilege of serving in the House, but to my 
colleagues, I thank you for the honor of serving as leader, but all of 
us should applaud all of our constituents for sending us here. So let 
us, again, applaud our constituents.
  Each one of us, Mr. Speaker, as you know, represents Republicans, 
represents Democrats, Independents, and others, and we should always 
pay tribute to the American people. The American people have called 
upon each of us to serve them. They have entrusted us with their hopes, 
their dreams, and they have asked us to address their challenges.
  The financial stability of a strong middle class and those who aspire 
to it is the bedrock of our economy and the backbone of our American 
democracy. We have a moral imperative to ensure that working men and 
women enjoy the bounty of their unprecedented productivity and to 
expand the purchasing power of families.
  To that end, today, Democrats will put forward a legislative package 
to put Americans back to work building our roads and bridges and 
meeting the needs of the American people, paid for by bringing our tax 
dollars back home and to increase the paycheck of America's working 
families.
  We invite our Republican colleagues to join us in supporting the Stop 
Corporate Expatriation and Invest in America's Infrastructure Act. It 
is time to stop rewarding companies to move overseas and instead use 
those dollars to create good-paying jobs here at home.
  We ask for Republican support and action on the CEO-Employee Pay 
Fairness Act, legislation to ensure that workers share in the fruit of 
their productivity, denying CEOs the ability to claim tax deductions on 
annual income over $1 million unless they give their employees a well-
deserved raise.
  We must have an economy that works for everyone, not just the 
privileged few, and we hope Republicans will join us to achieve a 
better infrastructure and bigger paychecks for the working people of 
our country--better infrastructure, bigger paychecks.
  We open this 114th Congress in the year we celebrate the 50th 
anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, one of the most consequential 
pieces of legislation in our history. President Lyndon Johnson and 
Congress passed it. The President signed it. Reverend Martin Luther 
King, Jr., and others, along with our own John Lewis, fought for it and 
inspired it. We must continue to inspire the engagement of every 
American. It is the vote that preserves our democracy, ends injustice, 
advances dreams, and sustains our freedom.
  In terms of protecting our freedom, let us recognize, salute, and 
thank all of those brave Americans who protect our rights--indeed, 
protect all of our liberty--our men and women in uniform, our veterans, 
and our military families.
  Mr. Speaker, today, we are at the start of a new year and a new 
Congress, with fresh opportunity for the American people. Today is the 
Feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the magi; so let us have our own 
epiphany, for this moment, on this day, we are not just Republicans and 
Democrats, we are Americans not just in name, but in spirit, standing 
on higher ground than the last election.
  My hope is that in the inevitable exchanges and clashes that may 
happen in the months ahead, we will not lose sight of the truth that is 
as fresh as this ceremony is today and as historic as our Republic that 
the ideals that unite us are stronger than the issues that divide us in 
this House.
  That does not mean that we are dispensing with all disagreements in 
this debate. Our democracy is robust precisely because we have beliefs 
and we stand proudly, even persistently, for them; and our democracy 
endures and prevails because in the end, we are humble enough to find a 
way forward together.
  My fellow colleagues of the 114th Congress, let us uphold our deep 
and different convictions, but let us honor our common obligation to 
our country. In this Congress, we will do so under the leadership of 
Speaker John Boehner.

                              {time}  1415

  This House will continue to be led by a proud son of Ohio and a happy 
fan of the Ohio State football team. A man of abiding faith, great 
heart, and deep dedication, John Boehner is truly a gentleman from 
Ohio.
  Congratulations to you, John, to Mr. Speaker, to Debbie, to your 
daughters, Lindsay and Tricia, and the entire Boehner family. Thank you 
for sharing John Boehner with us. God bless you and your family, Mr. 
Speaker.
  May God continue to bless the Members of the House of 
Representatives. This is the people's House. This is the people's 
gavel. In the people's name, it is my privilege to hand it to the 
Speaker of the House for the 114th Congress, the Honorable John 
Boehner.
  God bless you, Mr. Speaker, and God bless America.
  Mr. BOEHNER. Thank you.
  Friends, colleagues, countrymen, and especially the people of Ohio's 
Eighth Congressional District, thank you for sending me here. Let us 
today welcome all of the new Members and all of their families to what 
we all know to be a truly historic day.
  As we welcome all of the Members back who were reelected, we want to 
welcome your families as well, and I want to thank my family. I was 
doing pretty well on the walk over here from my ceremonial office until 
I ran into Devin Nunes' three little girls--my three biggest fans--and 
one of them came running over and gave me a kiss, and I was a mess.
  This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad. We 
rejoice that our new Members and families are here. We welcome them. We 
are glad and humbled to begin anew as servants of the people's House. 
Here, it is our duty and our privilege to lend a willing ear to the 
people, to make laws in tune with their priorities and within the 
limits of their Constitution.
  In recent months, our economy has shown signs of improvement, and 
after difficult years, it may be a temptation to accept what I will 
call the new normal. But America did not become exceptional by ease. 
Far too many Americans remain out of work, and too many are working 
harder only to lose ground to stagnant wages and rising costs. We can 
do better. We can build an economy that furthers better-paying jobs, 
more growth, and more opportunity for the Nation's middle class. This 
is our vital task.
  We will begin this endeavor on common ground, both in letter and in 
spirit. It was actually my predecessor, Nicholas Longworth of 
Cincinnati, who changed the order of things so that all Members now 
take the oath of office at the same time. He called this innovation a 
timesaving device. He sounds like my kind of guy. But this shared 
ritual is no passing formality. It is a frontier where words end and 
where deeds begin.
  The pessimists don't see us crossing this channel. They say nothing 
is going to be accomplished here, that division is wider than ever and 
so gridlock will be even greater. Frankly, fair enough. Skepticism of 
our government is healthy and, in our time, quite understandable. But 
one problem with saying it can't be done is that it already has been 
done--or at least started.
  In the last Congress, this House passed a number of jobs bills with 
broad support from the majority and the minority, and we will begin our 
work on this common ground, taking up measures to develop North 
American energy, restore the hours of middle class workers, and help 
small businesses hire more of our veterans. We invite the President to 
support and sign these bipartisan initiatives into law. It will be a 
good start; and more, it will be a sign that the logjam is breaking, 
and it will be a foundation on which to address the bigger challenges 
in the pursuit of freedom and security.
  No, this won't be done in a tidy way. The battle of ideas never ends 
and, frankly, never should. As Speaker, all I

[[Page 33]]

ask--and, frankly, expect--is that we disagree without being 
disagreeable. In return, I pledge to help each of you carry out your 
duties. My door, of course, is always open. Now don't get carried away 
with it--all right?--but it is always open.
  My colleagues, some things we do here will be characterized as 
shadowboxing and show business, but let me tell you and the American 
people, it is real work. It is a grind, as it should be, in striving to 
preserve the things that we all hold dear.
  Every day, you and I come out here, try to plant good seeds, 
cultivate the ground, and take care of the pests; and then, with 
patience and some sacrifice and God's grace, there will be a harvest. 
Along the way, we may falter, but we Americans do not fall away from 
the task. We do not quit.
  So let's stand tall and prove the skeptics wrong. Let's make this a 
time of harvest, and may the fruits of our labors be ladders our 
children can use to climb the stairs to the stars.
  Thank you all, 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 John 
Conyers of Michigan, to administer the oath of office.
  Mr. Conyers 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 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. CONYERS. Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.

                          ____________________