[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 934-935]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             OATH OF OFFICE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Fortenberry) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
  Mr. FORTENBERRY. Mr. Speaker, given that last week I took the oath of 
office as a Member of the new 115th Congress of the United States and 
given that next week we will watch President-elect Trump also take the 
oath of office, I want to share a few thoughts on the deep importance 
of this constitutional duty that we share.
  Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, last week on Capitol Hill was marked 
by a day of celebration. It was a day of renewal of friendships, even 
between people who have deep, deep disagreements in this body. Families 
and guests all gathered to share in the moment's excitement and 
meaning, and Members of Congress congratulated one another on their 
recent victories. We all took a reprieve from the intensity of the 
policy debate for just a moment. But amidst all of that swirl of 
activity, the day was set apart by the oath of office.
  Mr. Speaker, the oath lays down a clear marker of the serious 
obligations ahead for all of us. In our day and time, we no longer are 
deeply connected to this concept of oath. We see it in the courtroom 
when somebody is required to tell the truth. We will see it again next 
week when President-elect Trump is sworn in. But we rarely take the 
time to reflect on its deeper meaning.
  We see it more like an old tradition, a nostalgic option that we 
exercise out of deference to our history. However, the oath is much, 
much more. It is a solemn declaration. It is a pause, the start of 
sacred duty.
  By taking an oath, you effectively hold your very self at ransom. You 
commit, at the deepest levels, that you will perform the tasks ahead of 
you to the best of your ability.
  The oath is the ultimate test and measure of integrity. If you 
violate it, you tear at the center of your being, to the detriment of 
not only yourself but to the community, to those you are sworn to 
serve. This is a very high bar, indeed, Mr. Speaker.
  I am reminded of the words of Sir Thomas More, who was the Lord High 
Chancellor of England during the 16th century. He strove to live a life 
worthy of excellence in public service. But in the end, he was put to 
death by the very state that he sought to so nobly serve.
  In an earlier reflection on the idea of oath, Sir Thomas More had 
this to say:
  ``When a man takes an oath, he's holding his own self in his own 
hands like water, and if he opens his fingers then, he needn't hope to 
find himself again.''
  Mr. Speaker, throughout that wonderful day last week of our swearing 
in here in the body, I was reflecting personally on a singular word. 
That word is replenishment.
  Our American system of governance has an extraordinary capacity to 
replenish itself with new ideas, new people, and refreshed 
perspectives. Our political system starts with the belief that 
political power is derived from each person's dignity.
  By voting, citizens invest that very power in the Representatives 
that are sent here to make judgments on their behalf. But, of course, 
to earn that right in the first place, the Representative must make his 
case to the people. In spite of the drama, in spite of the raucous 
nature of elections--and we have just come through one--the fact that 
America goes through this cycle of constant replenishment is truly an 
extraordinary gift.
  Mr. Speaker, as I stood in the center aisle right here last week, I 
raised my right hand. I raised it right along with everyone else who is 
a Member of this new 115th Congress, and I took that oath of office.
  Mr. Speaker, I just think it is worthwhile to read these powerful 
words:
  ``I do solemnly swear, or affirm, that I will support and defend the 
Constitution of the United States against all

[[Page 935]]

enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and 
allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any 
mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and 
faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to 
enter, so help me God.''
  Mr. Speaker, indeed, this is a very high bar. This is a sacred duty. 
This is a solemn task. It sets this body and our system of governance 
apart by forcing each of us who have been given this extraordinary 
privilege of taking on the heavy mantel and weighty responsibility of 
making decisions on behalf of this great country, and to do so to the 
best of our ability, having put our very self, the integrity of what it 
means to be a person, on the line to uphold that commitment.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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