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CNN Live Event/Special

Johnson Re-Elected As House Speaker; Johnson Re-Elected House Speaker After Dramatic Vote. Aired 3-3:30p ET

Aired January 03, 2025 - 15:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Our position is that it is not acceptable to cut Social Security, cut Medicare, cut Medicaid, cut veterans benefits, or cut nutritional assistance from children and families in order to pay for massive tax breaks for billionaires and wealthy corporations. House Democrats will fight hard to protect working-class Americans and the things that matter to them, not the wealthy, the well-off and the well-connected. Keep your hands off Social Security and Medicare.

Over the last four years, it's been a great honor for us to work alongside President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, whose administration rescued the economy from a once-in-a-century pandemic, delivered historic infrastructure investments, created more than 15 million good-paying jobs, enacted common-sense gun safety legislation for the first time in 30 years, provided life-sustaining health insurance to veterans suffering from toxic exposure, championed the largest investment in combating the climate crisis in the history of the world, which we will defend and brought down the high price of life-saving prescription drugs for millions of Americans. Thank you, President Biden and Vice President Harris, for your powerful, principled and purposeful public service. Thank you.

Two months ago, the American people elected Donald Trump as the 47th President of the United States of America. Thank you for that very generous applause. It's okay. There are no election deniers on our side of the aisle. You see, one should love America when you win and when you lose. That's the patriotic thing to do, and that's the America that House Democrats will fight hard to preserve, because we love this country.

America is bigger than any one campaign, any one election or any one individual. America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. Let us never forget that our country is free, not simply because we are strong. America is strong because we are free.

That freedom is now under assault. There are some in this country who apparently believe that the freedom of economic opportunity that made them wealthy should not apply to everyone else. Our message to that crowd is simple. Democrats will never abandon the long walk toward freedom.

We will fight hard to defend the freedom of opportunity that makes the American dream possible. We will fight hard for the freedom to vote and to fight for a government of the people, by the people and for the people. We will fight for the freedom to organize and join a union of your choice. We will fight to defend the free enterprise system, but work hard to make sure that it actually works for working class Americans. And we will always defend a woman's freedom to make her own reproductive health care decisions. America promises one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. That's the America House Democrats will fight hard to preserve.

God bless you. God bless the House of Representatives. May God continue to bless the United States of America.

[15:05:00]

It is now my responsibility to present the gavel to the gentleman from the great state of Louisiana, the son of a firefighter, a God-fearing man, a husband and a loving father of four. The 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Honorable Mike Johnson.

REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, Leader Jeffries, and all of our treasured colleagues here in the House.

I'm grateful for this nomination, I'm grateful for this election, and for the confidence this chamber has placed in me. It is the great honor of my life to serve this body with all of you.

Of course, there - these are difficult days in our home state of Louisiana where I come from. We all know about the terrorist attack in New Orleans and it's really shaken our state. People are reeling from that attack. It took the lives of 14 innocent people and injured dozens more.

And I want to begin appropriately today, if we could, I'd ask that you all would please join me in a moment of silence for the victims of this horrific act.

Thank you. Thank you for that.

I believe in giving honor where honor is due, and all of us do well to honor our spouses. My wife happens to be here this time, she didn't make it last time. It happened a little sudden.

Kelly, would you stand up here in the gallery? Thank you.

And we have our four children here - Hannah, Abby, Jack and Will. Will you all stand up just really quickly, come on. I wanted to do that. All of us recognize that there are no perks to being a Congressman's kid, right? It's all sacrifice, and our spouses put up with so much; endless hours and travel and all the responsibilities upon us, and we're good to remind them how important they are to us and how we couldn't do the job without them and so it's appropriate for all of us to do that. Thank you. Thank you, guys.

This is a momentous time in the nation of - the history of our nation, it really is. And as members of the 119th Congress, we are stewards of the great American Revolution that began almost exactly now 250 years ago - in 1775 and 1776. It will fall at the time of this Congress, the great anniversary. And in these two and half centuries, we have been reminded repeatedly that freedom is never free.

And we have stood tall as the greatest nation on the face of the Earth. It is without debate - we are the freest, the most powerful, most benevolent nation that has ever been in the history of the world. It's not by happenstance.

We are the ones who settled the West, we are the ones who ended slavery, laid the transcontinental railroad, who gave women the right to vote, who won two world wars, who landed on the Moon and who won the Cold War.

Throughout our history, we have done what no one thought was possible. And still, at 250 years old, our nation is actually a young nation.

This past fall, I had an opportunity to go to the G7 speakers meeting. It was held in Italy. It's the only international trip I took as Speaker over the last 14 months, because it - I didn't have time to do it. But it was a quick three-day jaunt.

And met with my colleagues, the Speakers of the other parliaments, the great governments around the world. And we talked about that, how really special America is, how unique we are in our place on the globe, and how important it is for us to maintain that.

And as I talked to these colleagues from around the world, I thought, our closest allies, you know, who recognize how important we are, how important this body, this House is.

[15:10:02]

I thought about how is it that such a young country has become the so exceptional - so singular in its importance - that today stands as the world's leader in liberty, and the economy, and culture?

A hundred years ago, President Calvin Coolidge answered that very question in his inaugural address. It was March of - a hundred years ago - exactly almost. He said this: "We best serve our own country, and most successfully discharge our obligations to humanity, by continuing to be openly and candidly, intensely and scrupulously - American."

I love that. I love that.

Today - that's right. That's an applause line. Today my friends, our nation is the envy of the world. Why? Because we have been marked by a spirit and a people who are explicitly that: we are explicitly American.

We don't try to be like other nations, and we recognize that a strong America is good for the entire world. And everybody around the globe knows that. That's right.

We also recognize that the core principles that made America what we are, must still be preserved today. The principles - I call them the seven core principles of American conservatism but it's really the seven core principles of America itself. Individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets and human dignity. These are the ingredients, the things who made us what we are.

And in America, we know that human flourishing is best achieved by adherence to time-tested truths. We could list a number of those simple truths, here's a couple: It's better to give a hand-up, not a hand-out; that innovation thrives when bureaucracy dies; the simple truth that it is parents and families and not administrators that must be in charge of their children's education.

The path of prosperity has long been paved with policies that put America and Americans first. And that is what we will champion in the 119th Congress. We have a mandate, and that was shown in the election cycle. The people want an America first agenda. They do. Sadly, for the past four years of divided government, too many politicians in Washington have done the opposite.

Open borders and over-regulation have destroyed our cities and stifled innovation. Inflation and weak leadership have left Americans poorer and they have placed our country in a perilous position. That's right.

But in recent months, we've witnessed something happening, something that's really remarkable. A political moment in our modern history. A groundswell of Americans from every state, race and religion who now demand that we put the interests of Americans first again. And we will. And we will.

This is a powerful new coalition of our country. It's a coalition that insists that we purge the policies of "America last," and we bury them in the graveyard of history's mistakes, because it was a big mistake.

To that end, this Congress will renounce the status quo, and we will listen to the voices of the people.

We will act quickly, and we will start by defending our nation's borders. That's the number one priority. Yes.

In coordination with President Trump, this Congress will give our border and immigration enforcement agents the resources that they need to do their job.

We will secure the border. We will deport dangerous criminal, illegal aliens and finally finish building the border wall.

You said you'd work with us on that, Hakeem. I'm counting on it.

After four years of high inflation, we have a big agenda. We have a lot to do, and we can do it in a bipartisan fashion. We can fight high inflation, and we must.

We'll give relief to Americans, and we'll extend the Trump tax cuts.

[15:15:00]

We're going to protect our industries from one-sided trade deals, and we're going to bring overseas investments back to America's shores.

We'll - that's right. We'll defeat the harmful effects of inflation and we'll make life affordable again for America's hardworking people.

As leaders of a nation with vast natural resources that God has blessed us with, it is our duty to restore America's energy dominance - dominance, and that's what we'll do.

We have to apply common sense. We have to stop the attacks on liquefied natural gas, pass legislation to eliminate the Green New Deal. That funding. That funding.

We're going to expedite new drilling permits. We're going to save the jobs of our auto manufacturers, and we're going to do that by ending the ridiculous EV mandates.

And as heirs to the American Revolution and the descendants of patriots who defied tyranny, in the coming months, we are going to pass legislation to roll back the totalitarian, fourth branch of government known as the administrative state.

We're going to drastically cut back the size and scope of government. We're going to return the power back to the people. And in coordination with President Trump and his administration, we are going to create a leaner, faster, and more efficient federal workforce. We need to do that.

Our people do not deserve to be ruled by millions of bureaucrats they've never voted for, never met and can never hold accountable. They deserve a government that is led by those they've elected to lead. That is how Article I is supposed to work. That was the idea of the Congress, and we will return to that principle.

The American people have called on us to reject business as usual and throw out the status quo. We must, and we will, heed their call.

This is especially important as it comes to our nation's military.

For too long, the Washington establishment has sought to appease and accommodate our nation's adversaries. They've tried to replace our military warriors with social justice warriors. It does not work.

And while we're still the most powerful fighting force in the history of the world, by God's grace, the same establishment has eroded the capacities of our Army and Navy and diminished the readiness of our Air Force. We have to put an end to this madness.

My friends and my colleagues, I think we should all unite in this idea. It is time now to reinstate fear in our enemies, refocus our mission on lethality, and realign our commitment to peace through strength, right now.

We have to prioritize the things that matter most. We have to make adequate investments in defense. This is the most dangerous moment since World War II. And everyone around the world is looking to America and looking to this body to ensure that we maintain the peace. What we're proposing now is just simply, as President Trump likes to say, a return to common sense. And he's exactly right.

That message resonated across the country. I am very thankful, personally, that this body is filled with men and women who are committed to that change, to return to common sense.

We can do this together. We should. It is our responsibility to do so.

When I first took this gavel, many of you heard me say that I don't believe in luck or consequence. I believe in the idea of providence.

And this morning, I participated with many of you, early this morning, in the 119th Congress interfaith prayer service. It was held at St. Peter's Catholic Church. Many of you were there.

It was an ecumenical service with - in a bipartisan service, which was great. My good friend, Hakeem Jeffries, began by reading with the Old Testament.

[15:20:03]

He read out of Deuteronomy 10.

And then I was asked to provide a prayer for the nation. I offered one that is quite familiar to historians and probably many of us. It said right here in the program, it says right under my name, "it is said each day of his eight years of the presidency, and every day thereafter until his death, President Thomas Jefferson recited this prayer."

I wanted to share it with you here at the end of my remarks. Not as a prayer per se right now, but really as a reminder of what our third President and the primary author of the Declaration of Independence thought was so important that it should be a daily recitation.

Let me just read you that prayer. It goes like this, "Thomas Jefferson's prayer for the nation," it's entitled: "Almighty God who has given us this good land for our heritage. We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves, that people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues endow with thy spirit of wisdom, those whom in thy name, we entrust the authority of government. That there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the Earth. In times of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail, of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." That was Thomas Jefferson's prayer.

I - yes - suffer not our trust in thee to fail, we will not fail. We cannot fail. We are all in this together. Our nation is counting on us to band together and solve these problems and get this done. I've said before that I believe God has elevated each one of you, that is my belief, to your positions of leadership, and it's an act of providence that you've all been placed in your specific roles, in this specific moment, at this historic time, at the 250-year inflection point of the greatest nation in the history of the world. It is no small thing.

We're also witnesses to the providence that spared our incoming president, President Trump, from the assassin's bullet, remarkable as that was - and to the new coalition of Americans that has risen from every creed, color, and cul-de-sac, who want us to put America first.

Our people are asking for a thriving economy, and a rebuilt middle class, and strong borders and a strong military. And we can deliver that.

See, these objectives and these aims don't have an "R" or a "D" behind them. They have a U-S-A. That's what we're about.

In just a few moments, we're all going to take an oath. It is the same one oath for one nation and under the banner of one great American flag.

This is an opportunity for us to protect our shared American heritage, to maintain the conditions needed for self-government, and to defend what Hakeem said earlier - the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Working together, we have the potential to be one of the most consequential Congresses in the history of this great nation, so long as we work together, we do the right thing, and we put America first.

As we think about all we've accomplished in the past 250 years, we can only imagine what life will be like 250 years from now.

Whatever the future may look like, if we do our jobs now, we can help ensure that our civic virtues will endure. That this nation will still be an example to all the world for its greatness and its example of self-government.

And that, in spite of our great challenges and even our disagreements and our healthy debates, this extraordinary institution, the People's House, will still be standing strong.

Thank you all so much and God bless America.

So, as the sequence of events requires, I am now ready to take the oath of office. I ask the Dean of the House of Representatives, the Honorable Harold Rogers of Kentucky, to administer the oath.

[15:25:03]

HAROLD ROGERS, DEAN OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: Mr. Speaker, number one, congratulations on your election.

When our Founding Fathers ... JOHNSON: Hold just a second, Dean, we don't have the microphone on yet.

ROGERS: Hello. Test. Today, we celebrate our shared American self- rule. When our Founding Fathers rejected calls for an American king and chose a bold and innovative government of self-rule, it was met by opposition, understandably, by the world's kings. They said, you can't govern yourself, you need a king to direct the country. They said, it's only a dream, self-rule.

The Founding Fathers said, you're right, it's the American dream. And thus, our Founders said that we should move on our own, with our own leadership. The Speaker of the House is the critical protector and promoter of self-rule, the keeper of the dream, if you will. And we've elected this man from Louisiana to carry on our bold experiment in democracy and self-rule.

So, sir, if you're ready to assume this awesome responsibility, please raise your right hand.

Do you solemnly swear 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, that you take this obligation without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you're about to enter, so help you God?

JOHNSON: I do.

ROGERS: Congratulations, Mr. Speaker.

JOHNSON: Thank you.

You may as well remain standing, because according to precedent, the chair will swear in the member's elect en masse. The member's elect will all rise. The chair will now administer the oath of office.

Will you raise your right hand?

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 anti - any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which you're about to enter, so help you God?

ALL: I do.

JOHNSON: Congratulations. You are now members of the 119th Congress.

DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: The 119th Congress is now up and running with 434 members sworn in, including a Speaker of the House, which is now Mike Johnson, serving for a second term, 434, because Matt Gaetz was elected but decided not to get sworn in, which is why they're just one short of having the full house there.

As we're talking here outside, the snow is falling. Snow is starting to fall outside. It's very windy, so that's what they're going to have to walk out to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think the control room may be protecting us.

BASH: Okay, good.

David Chalian, this is certainly a moment in history, and what we're seeing right now - okay, what we're seeing right now is the normalcy of what it is supposed to be, which is people getting sworn in, their family's there, it's celebratory. I'm actually told that the wind is picking up so much that I'm not sure if you can hear me, so Jake, I'm going to go back to you in the studio. (INAUDIBLE) --

JAKE TAPPER, CNN HOST: Thanks so much, Dana. It is dry here. So, we know that President-elect Trump has issued a statement on Truth Social congratulating Speaker Mike Johnson for receiving an unprecedented vote of confidence in Congress.

[15:30:01]