[Pages H9-H15]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

The House met at noon, and was called to order by the Clerk.
The Chaplain, the Reverend Margaret Grun Kibben, offered the
following prayer:
Holy God, in these days of uncertainty and change, we turn to You who
are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Regardless of the
circumstance, Lord, You are not just present but provisioning,
supplying us all that we need to forge into and navigate the unknown
ahead.
Give us reason, then, to cling to faith and to trust Your guiding
hand in this liminal period of our Chamber's leadership. Offer us the
gift of perspective. Bring to our minds the upheaval taking place in
countries like Ukraine. In the face of chaos, they yet remain resolute,
ever committed to the defense of their country and the strength of
their government, bound together and upheld by their faith that You
will sustain them.
How can we possibly succumb to our own disquiet and frustration when
we reflect on the challenges governments around the world struggle to
resolve in the name of democracy?
Even as we seek to establish this new Congress, remind us that we
have a building not constructed by human hands. In our momentary
distress, may we never lose sight of Your divine hand that guides our
own Nation.
Call us to live this day in faith, if not by sight, and seek always
to make it our goal to please You as we serve the Nation You have
entrusted to us.
We lean on You, our rock, and pray in the name of our sure redeemer.
Amen.

the journal

The CLERK. The Chair has examined the Journal of the last day's
proceedings and announces to the House the approval thereof.
Representatives-elect are invited to join in the Pledge of
Allegiance.

Pledge of Allegiance

The CLERK. The Representatives-elect and their guests will please
remain standing and join in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The CLERK led the Pledge of Allegiance as follows:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of
America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation
under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Point of Order

Ms. STEFANIK. Madam Clerk, I have a point of order that a quorum is
not present.
The CLERK. The gentlewoman makes a point of order that a quorum is
not present. The Chair will count for quorum. The Chair counts 351
Members. There is a quorum present.
The question recurs upon the election of a Speaker. The tellers will
please come forward to take their seats.

{time} 1215

The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr.
Gallagher).
Mr. GALLAGHER. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate the gentleman from
California, Mr. Kevin McCarthy, for Speaker of the House.
Mr. GALLAGHER. Let's all take a second, take a look around. I know
people are getting frustrated. Take a look at this Chamber and realize
how lucky we are to serve this country in Congress, how lucky we all
are, Democrats and Republicans, to be citizens of the greatest country
in the history of the world.
I say that because I know last night people were frustrated, wanted
to go to parties, take pictures with their families. Honestly, we find
ourselves here in this Chamber for the second day. We know we have got
work to do. But in some ways, there is no place I would rather be--with
the possible exception of Lambeau Field on Sunday--no place I would
rather be.
But maybe, with the excitement, some of you haven't had an
opportunity to check what is happening online. Let me fill you in on
what is happening on Twitter, what the press is writing about. In some
ways, they are salivating. There are headlines about the chaos, this
and that. Yesterday, our colleagues on the other side of the aisle were
tweeting their bags of popcorn that they had out. They love it. They
are shouting for it. It is palpable.
But I think my friends on the Democrat side misunderstand what is
happening here. Sure, it looks messy, but democracy is messy. Democracy
is messy by design. That is a feature, not a bug, of our system. We air
it all out in the open for the American people to see. Because at the
end of the day, the President is not in charge, the Supreme Court is
not in charge, the Speaker of the House is not even in charge. The
American people are in charge.

[[Page H10]]

I am proud to be part of a party that welcomes debate, that invites
different views, that isn't afraid of that.
Now, I listened to some of my colleagues yesterday. Mr. Roy from
Texas, my good friend, knows I respect his views. I have been his
partner in anti-proxy voting crusades, pro-regular order crusades. I
understand. I know that his intentions are pure. I know a lot of people
are just frustrated with the way Congress works. He knows I believe
that in my bones.
But nobody has done more to lay out a plan for how we restore the
basic functioning of this institution than Kevin McCarthy. Nobody has
done that.
Now, you may not have gotten everything you wanted. There are things
I want that I know it is not possible to get done in this Congress. But
Mr. McCarthy has gone above and beyond in terms of listening to people
with concerns and laying out a plan for how we restore the basic
functioning of the House of Representatives. Furthermore, I believe no
one has done more to bring us into the majority than Kevin McCarthy.
Listen, I wish we had a bigger majority. I wish we could do
everything over the next 2 years. But the American people gave us an
opportunity. They gave us, Republicans, an opportunity to inject some
basic common sense into the Federal Government, to pull the emergency
brake on a lot of the crazy we have seen in the last few years. They
are asking us to do a job, and nobody has laid out a plan, a proactive
policy agenda for the direction we want to take this country in more
detail than Kevin McCarthy. You all had an opportunity to provide input
into that plan.
The irony of this current moment and this debate we are having is
that on the big stuff we all agree; right? We want to secure the
border. We don't want the executive branch to do everything through a
pen and a phone.
We want to work with our Democratic colleagues when it comes to
standing up to our enemies abroad, right?
There are basic things we know we need to do. It is time to get to
work.
So you might tweet out some more popcorn emojis. I get it. You might
write your headlines. But what I see right now is energy, a tremendous
amount of energy in this Republican Conference who want to do the work
of the people.
Mr. McCarthy is not asking you to endorse business as usual in the
House. He has laid out a plan to renew the House of Representatives,
and, once again, make it an institution where we can credibly look
ourselves in the mirror and say we are working in the people's House.
For that and many other reasons, I nominate Kevin McCarthy for
Speaker of the House.
The CLERK. The Clerk now recognizes the gentleman from California
(Mr. Aguilar).
Mr. AGUILAR. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Hakeem Jeffries as
Speaker of the House.
Madam Clerk, make no mistake, there is no frustration on our side. We
are focused on serving the American people. In order to do that, we
have to unite behind a Speaker.
Democrats are united behind a Member who will prioritize putting
better-paying jobs in industries of the future. Growing up in a
working-class family, he knows that a good-paying job and a good
education are key to economic mobility. He knows that to tackle the
affordability crisis in this country, we need to make sure that
everybody gets paid enough to live and work in any ZIP Code. He knows
that by creating these jobs, we can once again make it in America.
Madam Clerk, as chair of the Democratic Caucus, I am directed by vote
of that Caucus to present for election to the 118th Congress the
Honorable Hakeem Jeffries, Representative-elect for the State of New
York, for the office of Speaker.
The CLERK. The Clerk now recognizes the gentleman from Texas (Mr.
Roy).
Mr. ROY. Madam Clerk, yesterday, my first vote for Speaker of the
House was for Byron Donalds. Today, I am rising to nominate Byron
Donalds for Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Byron is a dear friend, a solid conservative, but most importantly, a
family man who loves dearly his wife, Erika, his three children, has a
proven track record as a businessman, public service in the Florida
legislature, and now as a Member of the United States Congress.

Now, here we are, and for the first time in history, there have been
two Black Americans placed into the nomination for Speaker of the
House. However, we do not seek to judge people by the color of their
skin but rather the content of their character.
Byron Donalds is a good man raised by a single mom who moved past
adversity, became a Christian man at the age of 21, and has devoted his
life to advancing the cause for his family and for this country. He has
done it admirably.
But there is an important reason for nominating Byron, and that is
that this country needs a change. This country needs leadership that
does not reflect this city, this town that is badly broken.
The House of Representatives is the people's House. It represents the
entirety of our country, and we each represent some 750,000 people. We
come here, and here we sit in a room filled with those Representatives.
My friend, Mr. Gallagher--and he is my friend, and I agree with him on
many things, and I agree with almost everything that he was talking
about. But we should be in here having this kind of a conversation with
this many people in the room about Ukraine, and we should debate the
merits and we should debate the ups and downs being involved. We should
debate the $45 billion. We should debate whether it should be more or
less. We should debate whether it should be paid for. We should debate
what result we should demand. The only way you are going to get that is
if you change the rules and have the leadership to advance the rules to
make sure we can do that.
Now, we have had a conversation for 2 months to try to advance the
ball, and we have had success in doing that, but we are not there. We
are not at the place where we need to be to guarantee that we are going
to be able to stand up in the face of the swamp that continues to step
over the American people on a daily basis and spend money we don't have
and continues to leave our borders open and continues to fund
bureaucrats that are stepping over the freedoms of the American people.
Byron will stand up and do that. Byron has a track record of doing
that.
Importantly, when we are sitting here today and we continue this
debate and we then have a vote, I just ask my friends on this side of
the aisle, do you think that the American people support the status
quo? Yes or no.
Do you think that the American people want us to continue down the
road of what we have been doing, with the leadership that is currently
in place, has been in place? Do you think they want us to continue down
that path?
The argument that I would make is that they want a new face, new
vision, new leadership, and I believe that face, vision, and new
leadership is Byron Donalds. I am proud to put his name into
nomination.
The CLERK. 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. 5]

JEFFRIES--212

[[Page H11]]

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
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)

MCCARTHY--201

Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei
Armstrong
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Banks
Barr
Bean (FL)
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Bilirakis
Bost
Buchanan
Buck
Bucshon
Burchett
Burgess
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carl
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Chavez-DeRemer
Ciscomani
Cline
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crawford
Crenshaw
Curtis
D'Esposito
Davidson
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Duarte
Duncan
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Ezell
Fallon
Feenstra
Ferguson
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flood
Foxx
Franklin, C. Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Gallagher
Garbarino
Garcia, Mike
Gimenez
Gonzales, Tony
Gooden (TX)
Granger
Graves (LA)
Graves (MO)
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
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
Luttrell
Mace
Malliotakis
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCarthy
McCaul
McClain
McClintock
McCormick
McHenry
Meuser
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Molinaro
Moolenaar
Mooney
Moore (AL)
Moore (UT)
Moran
Murphy
Nehls
Newhouse
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Owens
Palmer
Pence
Pfluger
Posey
Reschenthaler
Rodgers (WA)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rouzer
Rutherford
Salazar
Santos
Scalise
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Sessions
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Stauber
Steel
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Stewart
Strong
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Turner
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Waltz
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Wenstrup
Westerman
Williams (NY)
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke

DONALDS--20

Biggs
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Brecheen
Cloud
Clyde
Crane
Donalds
Gaetz
Good (VA)
Gosar
Harris
Luna
Miller (IL)
Norman
Ogles
Perry
Rosendale
Roy
Self

ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--1

Spartz

NOT VOTING--0

{time} 1340

The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number
of votes cast is 433, of which the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of the
State of New York has received 212, the Honorable Kevin McCarthy of the
State of California has received 201, the Honorable Byron Donalds of
the State of Florida has received 20, with 1 Member-elect recorded as
present.
No Member-elect having received a majority of the whole number of
votes cast, a Speaker has not been elected.
The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Davidson).
Mr. DAVIDSON. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Kevin McCarthy as
Speaker of the House.
Madam Clerk, now why would I as a conservative, as an Army Ranger, a
businessman, the first guy that the House Freedom Caucus backed in a
congressional race, nominate Kevin McCarthy to become the next Speaker
of the House? Why would Jim Jordan? Why would other conservatives
like Thomas Massie, Jim Banks, Kevin Hern, and others support Kevin
McCarthy as Speaker of the House?
Something in our nature as humans causes us to dehumanize others when
we engage in conflict. Dehumanizing others makes it easier to ascribe
bad motives and to engage in the fight, but it also makes it harder to
understand one another. As actions push further disagreement, arguments
tend to escalate rather than resolve. We are on the precipice of such a
destructive argument today.
I plead with all--all--of my Republican colleagues: Let cooler, more
rational heads prevail. Let us unite as Republicans to elect the next
Speaker of the House.
Unlike Democrats, nearly every Republican at least campaigns on some
form of smaller, more accountable government. Once we get here, the
bipartisan consensus keeps growing a bigger, less accountable
government.
The American people know that the status quo is broken, that we have
become less free, less safe, and more burdened by debt. The American
people are sick and tired of it, and they keep sending us
reinforcements--reinforcements that today help make up our small
majority. But a majority is only a majority if we actually work
together.
Now, lots of people back home don't trust anyone in this town.
Perhaps we would be wise to listen to them and some wisdom from Ronald
Reagan: Trust but verify.
Trust is a fragile condition and easily broken. As I have listened to
my friends, 20 of whom have opposed Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the
House, and others, the root issue is this: They do not trust Kevin
McCarthy.
What can heal that divide? Right now, there are a lot of colleagues
that don't trust 20 or more of my fellow Republicans. Right now, though
we remain divided, a majority, an actual majority, of House Freedom
Caucus members do support Kevin McCarthy.
This summer, a unified House Freedom Caucus started the negotiations
with a proposal for new rules, a different way to govern that empowers
committees and regular Members. We proposed that a set of tools could
be structured to make trust more verifiable and allow recourse if that
trust is ever broken.

{time} 1345

Following the election, Kevin McCarthy engaged in that negotiation.
He led the Conference to adopt substantive reforms that will make our
majority more effective.
Let me list some of them:
Andrew Clyde's proposal to restore public access to the Capitol;
Lauren Boebert's proposal to reduce the linkage between the NRCC and
the Steering Committee process;
Gary Palmer's proposal to cap spending on suspension bills;
Ralph Norman's proposal to limit leadership reports and make
conference more about engaging all Members;
Chip Roy's proposal to provide a 5-day notice for suspension votes;
Dan Bishop's proposal in privileged resolutions;
Scott Perry's proposal for additional Conference meetings ahead of
key votes;
Bob Good's proposal on standalone appropriations bills;
Andy Biggs' proposal limiting suspension waivers from committees;
Chip Roy's proposal to make cosponsored amendments in order;
A firm 72-hour publication of bills before calling for a recorded
vote;
An end to proxy voting;
An end to remote participation in committee work by Members of
Congress;
The Holman rule;
An end to the Gephardt rule;
CutGo instead of paygo;
An end to en bloc suspension votes;
A major reform worked out with Morgan Griffith, what we hope to call
the Griffith rule, on single-subject bills

[[Page H12]]

subject to germaneness, points of order, and amendment;
Diverse viewpoints on every committee;
Lastly, a Church-style commission added to the Judiciary Committee
focused on the abuses our own Big Government has unjustly collaborated
with Big Business and Big Tech to silence, persecute, or even prosecute
our fellow citizens.
As Thomas Massie pointed out, Elon Musk bought a crime scene.
Now that we know, and the public knows, the question is: What in the
hell are we going to do about it? Well, the select committee answers
that question, with oversight and leadership by our most effective
Member, my friend and colleague, the future chairman of the House
Judiciary Committee, Congressman Jim Jordan.
We as Republicans are a big and diverse Conference. The real question
goes back to strategy. Can we accept incremental progress? Can we work
for a victory one first down at a time, or can we only accept the high-
risk trick plays?
Can we set about the hard work of winning debates with our
colleagues, as we have done through this process? Can we take a win
every now and then and give hope to the forgotten men and women of
America who no longer believe this place, this people's House, cares
about them?
Or, having achieved nearly every concession that we have asked for,
including a motion to vacate the Chair with one privileged resolution,
does it really boil down to this: 20 or more of my colleagues will
never trust Kevin McCarthy as Speaker?
I feel at this time we risk a worse outcome if we cannot unite behind
the man that has helped us achieve these substantive reforms, reforms
that offer all of us, this whole body, hope for change in the broken
status quo; reforms that our voters have demanded; reforms that we have
worked hard together to achieve; and, finally, reforms that we risk
forfeiting if we do not work together as Republicans to elect the next
Speaker of the House.
Now is the time for deeds, not words. I nominate Kevin McCarthy for
Speaker of the House. I humbly ask for your support.
The CLERK. The gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar) is recognized.
Mr. AGUILAR. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Hakeem Jeffries as
Speaker of the House.
Madam Clerk, the lead vote-getter in the last four tallies, Democrats
are united behind a Speaker who will work to codify the right to seek
an abortion into law.
Like all of us, Hakeem has spoken about consistently the disastrous
Dobbs decision; he has spoken time and time again that it is well past
time to codify Roe v. Wade into law; and he knows that young women
should not grow up in a world with fewer rights than their parents and
grandparents. He will ensure that reproductive freedom is enshrined
into law.
That is why, Madam Clerk, as chair of the Democratic Caucus, I am
directed by the Caucus to present for election Hakeem Jeffries,
Representative-elect from New York, as our next Speaker.
The CLERK. The gentlewoman from Colorado (Mrs. Boebert) is
recognized.
Mrs. BOEBERT. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Congressman Byron
Donalds, my friend, an amazing man of Florida, an amazing leader,
someone who almost even took leadership here in our Republican Party
and came very close in doing so. It was a very brave run that he took.
He is a man who understands what tough times look like and has come
out of those tough times even stronger, more liberated, and as a
leader.
We just heard from my respected colleague from Ohio, and he stated
some amazing rules that we have been able to get an agreement on, I
think.
We were threatened pretty heavily in Conference, saying if we don't
do as we ought, then some of those rules may just go away.
But even naming the germaneness rule, which is really fantastic,
after Morgan Griffith, well, that was our idea, too.
My question is, why didn't the supposed leader of the Republican
Party present these rules? Why were we fought so hard on these rules?
The barrier that still stands in the way of these rules is the
structure that prevents us from rolling over.
As my friend, Chip Roy, stated, we need the tools and the leadership
to do our job correctly, and I believe that Byron Donalds is the man to
lead us to that path of getting America on track and uniting the
Republican Party.
My colleagues and I have worked tirelessly for months to build
consensus, to negotiate in good faith, to help unify our party on
border security, energy security, debt reduction, term limits, and
earmarks, among other many commonsense policies. But too often, our
efforts have fallen on deaf ears. Our border is wide open. Inflation is
out of control. The Senate just passed $1.7 trillion without our input.
So, let me be clear: Our job is not to coordinate the biggest
fundraiser or rubberstamp the status quo or keep on going along to get
along. It is to use our votes to elect a Speaker who will enable us to
get our country back on track.
Getting the job done is what we were elected to do, and that starts
with having a leader who supports Republican principles, builds
consensus, and has a proven track record of success.
Byron Donalds is that leader. Republicans, including many moderates,
have been impressed by Byron Donalds. They are impressed by his ability
to work together. They respect his leadership. We see him as someone
who can communicate what we are all wanting to do in this House to
Americans.
He represents so much more than just his district in Florida. Many
millions of Americans all over this Nation praise the work and the
leadership of Byron Donalds.
So, let's work together. Let's stop with the campaign smears and
tactics to get people to turn against us, even having my favorite
President call us and tell us we need to knock this off.
I think it actually needs to be reversed. The former President needs
to tell Kevin McCarthy that, sir, you do not have the votes, and it is
time to withdraw.
The CLERK. 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. 6]

JEFFRIES--212

Adams
Aguilar
Allred
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Beatty
Bera
Beyer
Bishop (GA)
Blumenauer
Blunt Rochester
Bonamici
Bowman
Boyle (PA)
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bush
Caraveo
Carbajal
Cardenas
Carson
Carter (LA)
Cartwright
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cicilline
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Connolly
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Davis (NC)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dingell
Doggett
Escobar
Eshoo
Espaillat
Evans
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Frost
Gallego
Garamendi
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Garcia, Robert
Golden (ME)
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzalez, Vicente
Gottheimer
Green (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
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

[[Page H13]]

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)

MCCARTHY--201

DONALDS--20

Biggs
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Brecheen
Cloud
Clyde
Crane
Donalds
Gaetz
Good (VA)
Gosar
Harris
Luna
Miller (IL)
Norman
Ogles
Perry
Rosendale
Roy
Self

ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--1

Spartz

NOT VOTING--0

{time} 1513

The CLERK. The tellers agree in their tallies that the total number
of votes cast is 433, of which the Honorable Hakeem Jeffries of the
State of New York has received 212 votes, the Honorable Kevin McCarthy
of the State of California has received 201 votes, and the Honorable
Byron Donalds of the State of Florida has received 20 votes, with 1
voting present.
No Member-elect having received a majority of the votes cast, a
Speaker has not been elected.

{time} 1515

The Clerk recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Cammack).
Mrs. CAMMACK. Madam Clerk, I rise today to nominate Kevin McCarthy as
Speaker of the people's House.
Madam Clerk, well, it is Groundhog Day again. If it is all right with
you, I would like to address not my colleagues, but the American people
because, quite frankly, they are our boss, and we work for them.
Yesterday, as we were here on the House floor, our constituents from
all around the country made their voices heard. Today, the calls, the
text messages, emails, they all continue. People are letting their
voices be heard. That is a very, very good thing because that is what
we are, after all, a constitutional republic that serves all Americans,
not just a select few.
To all Americans watching right now, I would tell you that we hear
you. We hear you, and we will get this right. No matter how messy this
process is, we will emerge better for having been through this because
nothing great ever comes easy.
For the last several months, negotiations have gone back and forth
over a rules package to make this Chamber, your Chamber, a better
place, to deliver better results for you, the American people.
And I remind everyone watching, listening, here in this Chamber, that
this Chamber and this body, our country, we are bigger than a single
person or a single moment in time. We are a Nation collectively of
great people, great patriots, and great moments of courage.
The rules package that has been highlighted by so many of my
colleagues dictates how this Chamber functions, how bills come to the
floor, how much time we get to read these bills, whether or not we will
get single-issue bills, and whether or not we can vote proxy.
As you have witnessed from events yesterday, so many people have
asked:
What are the next steps?
What will we accomplish if we continue down this current path?
Will we wake up tomorrow and be in this exact same place?
The people calling my office have said over and over and over again:
It is time to get to work. Anything less is unacceptable.
As we stood on this House floor yesterday and again today, over 200
people were poisoned from fentanyl; fentanyl that came from an open
border because of the Biden open border policy. Over 5,000 people were
encountered at the border because of Biden's open border policies.
These are the issues that people care about. They don't sit around
their kitchen tables at night saying, I wonder who is going to be
Speaker. No, they elect people to come here to do the things that
matter, the issues that impact them every single day.
In an era of uncertainty, the last thing they need is uncertainty
within this Chamber. We were elected to be the voice of our
constituents. We are their voice in this Chamber, and they didn't send
us to be perpetual critics. They sent us to get things done. As we all
know--because after all, we are in politics--the line of critics is
always long. But the list of those that are actually rolling up their
sleeves and doing the difficult job of leading, of uniting, of
delivering results, especially in a Chamber like this, well, that list
is very short.
Kevin McCarthy has proven that he can get things done. He has proven
that he is willing to stand up in the face of critics and not only
prove them wrong but work with them.
The only thing sovereign in this Republic are its people. They have
deemed it right to place a check on the Biden administration and put
our party, the Republican Party, in control of this Chamber.
Now is the time that we take control. I understand a lack of trust
amongst some of our colleagues. I do. But what I am asking is that we
all trust the American people who sent our colleagues here. This House
is the only part of the Federal Government that stands for election
every 2 years. Therefore, this Chamber is an instrument of the people's
will, and the people have overwhelmingly voted for Kevin McCarthy. If
we continue down this road, if we continue with the actions of
yesterday and today, we stifle the will of the American people.
The changes to the rules of this place and how it functions have been
overwhelmingly positive in the last few weeks. Legislation stands
ready. It is time to unite, roll up our sleeves, and get to work doing
the people's business.
The gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy), my friend, has done
more than anyone in this Chamber to secure a Republican majority. Many
of the people who are Members here today are, quite frankly, here
because of his leadership, because they have trusted him, and he has
gone out of his way to make sure that every single one of us has had a
voice at the table.
Furthermore, every single returning Republican in this Chamber who
cast a vote 2 years ago in the last Congress voted for Kevin McCarthy
as our leader. We were united then and we must unify now. That is the
only way to start the people's business--the very reason that we are
all here--is to unify and get to work because we must commit to unity
instead of division.
We owe it to the American people who sent us here. We must choose to

[[Page H14]]

lead in the face of a liberal Senate and Obama's JV team in the White
House. We owe it to the American people. The American people sent a
conservative majority to govern this body, but we cannot even begin to
govern because, heck, we can't even be sworn in as Members of Congress.
I have traveled the country for the last 2 years as the youngest
Republican woman in the 117th Congress helping to secure a majority of
Members who are on both sides of today's Republican vote.
Diversity of thought is a good thing. It is one of the things that
sets us apart from our friends on the other side of the aisle. Yes,
diversity of thought is a good thing, but they want us divided. They
want us to fight each other. That much has been made clear by the
popcorn and blankets and alcohol that has come out over there.

The CLERK. The Clerk will ask all Members-elect to abide by the
established decorum of the House while making nominations.
Mrs. CAMMACK. As evidenced by my colleagues' actions.
Today, I am asking my friends and colleagues: Are we the party of
Reagan Republicans? Reagan who said, someone who is with me 80 percent
of the time is a loyal and good friend not a 20 percent traitor.
Are we the party of Reagan? That is the question that I ask you to
answer as we embark on this next ballot. It is upon us to remain a
Nation of equal opportunity not equal outcome. That is what is on the
line here today and that is why I am nominating Kevin McCarthy, and I
humbly ask for your support.
The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from California (Mr.
Aguilar).
Mr. AGUILAR. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate Hakeem Jeffries as
Speaker of the House, the lead vote-getter in the final and last five
rounds.
Democrats are united behind a Speaker who will build safer
communities. He is a leader in gun violence prevention. He has worked
to make our criminal justice system more fair, more equitable, and more
effective, and has done it working with both sides of the aisle. A
leader who has a track record in actually getting things done, and he
understands that public safety, public health, and economic opportunity
must go hand in hand.
That is why at the direction of the Democratic Caucus, I advance the
name of Hakeem Jeffries from Brooklyn, New York, as our next Speaker
for the 118th Congress.
The CLERK. The Clerk recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Perry).
Mr. PERRY. Madam Clerk, I rise to nominate the gentleman from Florida
(Mr. Donalds).
Madam Clerk, ladies and gentlemen, no matter what side of the aisle
you are on, no matter your political persuasion, one thing is
universally recognized across this country: Washington is broken.
Washington is completely broken.
Whether it is a wide open border, millions of people streaming
across--terrorists, criminals--fentanyl coming right to your community,
not at the border but into your community; overdoses happening in your
towns, funerals happening in your towns because the border is open
because this place is broken.
Twelve days ago, in the middle of the night, 4,000 pages showed up
here: $1.7 trillion in spending, 7,200 earmarks, 24-hour time to read
it, like a Christmas tree right before Christmas that nobody outside of
this town wanted.
If you have been here for 1 year, you voted on that once. If you have
been here for 3 years, you have voted on the same thing 3 times. If you
have been here for 10 years, you have voted on it 10 times.
Washington is broken. You have crime running across the streets, no
matter what community you are in because now, this town has decided
that somehow the criminals aren't understood, and we have abandoned the
victims.
This is what people in our country are dealing with.
We are funding wars in other countries while we are destroying our
own military because this town is broken.
We have an administration that has contempt for the American people
and is using these big corporations to spy on Americans and using the
instruments of Federal power to persecute and prosecute them because
this town is broken. This place is literally broken. There hasn't been
an amendment on the floor for 6 years in this town. So if you are not
on the committee of jurisdiction but it affects your citizens, well too
bad for you. You just vote ``yes'' or you just vote ``no.''
That is not how this place was designed to be. We vote on bills that
have all kinds of things that have nothing to do with the bill itself.
Everybody came here because they said to their constituents: This town
is broken, and I want to fix it.
Well, how are you going to fix it if you come to this town and just
stepped right in line and keep doing the same things that everybody has
done before you? It is not going to fix it, and the American people
know it.
I would say this: I think the person that has done the most to make
this fabulous, this wonderful Republican majority is Speaker Pelosi and
her policies. That is what has achieved this majority over here because
the American people are sick and tired of it and they have had enough
of it.

{time} 1530

It is not about personalities. It is about the policies that come out
of here. This is not about personalities on this side of the aisle or
that side of the aisle.
We believe, and we want to believe, that every person that comes
here--left, right, center--has the best intentions for our country.
It is not about the personalities in this contest. It is not personal
for us. But because we all acknowledge and all know that Washington is
broken, we must take a new path.
There must be a new vision so that Congress works for the American
people because the American people are watching what is happening here.
They have watched what has happened here, and they are sure in their
hearts, and they can prove it, that this town works for this town. That
is who this town is working for.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are making history today. We are making
history in this process, and we are showing the American people that
this process works.
Yes, it has been about 100 years. It has been about 100 years since
this happened before, but we have said that we are not going to take
any more of Washington being broken. We are going to do something for
the American people, and we are going to fix it.
Is it going to be painful, and is it going to be difficult? Yes, it
probably is. That is why it took 100 years. It probably is, but we are
going to do it.
We can also make history today by electing the first Black Republican
Speaker of the House.
Yes. Thank you.
Now, as my colleagues probably know, the first Black Members of
Congress to serve in this body were Republicans. As a matter of fact,
you probably also know that Frederick Douglass, who went and worked
with Abraham Lincoln to emancipate the people of color in this country,
said he would never be anything but a Republican.
I am here to nominate Byron Donalds because he has accomplished many
things. He is a man of faith; he is a family man; he is a businessman;
and he is a man of community service.
He has come from the school of hard knocks because not all outcomes
in life are equal, but America is the place where we can each do great
things regardless of our humble beginnings--each one of us.
Now, Byron is the product of a single-parent family where it is not
easy, but he has succeeded in America, and that is a testament to what
we have created here and what we are trying to save.
He has a record of accomplishing things. He has a record of being on
the right side. He is respected. He is trusted. He is capable. He
achieves results.
Now, Byron has a big mind, and he is big in stature, as well. He is
very nice, but I will tell you this: In a negotiation with Chuck
Schumer, I sure wouldn't want to be on the other side of Byron Donalds.
He knows who he is. He knows what his foundation is. He knows that
Washington is broken and what Chuck Schumer sends over here isn't going
to work out for the American people.
Ladies and gentlemen, Washington is broken. Byron Donalds will
inspire us

[[Page H15]]

and restore our citizens' faith that this institution actually works
for them.
It is my highest honor to nominate the gentleman from Florida, Byron
Donalds, to be the next Speaker of the House.
The CLERK. 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. 7]

JEFFRIES--212

MCCARTHY--201

DONALDS--20

Biggs
Bishop (NC)
Boebert
Brecheen
Cloud
Clyde
Crane
Donalds
Gaetz
Good (VA)
Gosar
Harris
Luna
Miller (IL)
Norman
Ogles
Perry
Rosendale
Roy
Self

ANSWERED ``PRESENT''--1

Spartz

NOT VOTING--0

{time} 1631

____________________