resilient, forward-looking and optimistic people, and we will begin the hard work of repairing this nation tonight because here in america we do hard things. in america, we always overcome our challenges. the speaker: the house will be in order. today, a shameful assault was made on our democracy. it cannot, however, deter us from our responsibility to validate the election of joe biden and kamala harris. congress has returned to the capitol. we always knew that this responsibility would take us into the night and will stay as long as it takes. our purpose will be accomplished.

we must show to the country and to the world that we will not be diverted from our duty and respt our responsibility to the constitution and to the american people. on sunday, it was a a great honor to be sworn in as speaker and preside over a sacred ritual of renewal as we gathered under his dome under the temple of democracy on open the 117th congress. i said as we were sworn in then, we accept the responsibility as daunting and as demanding as any previous generation of leadership has ever faced. we know we are in difficult times. but little could we have imagined the assault that was made on our democracy today.

to those who said to the terrorists from our responsibility, you have failed. to those who engage in the demreeful desecration of this, our temple of democracy, american democracy, justice will be done. today, january 6, is the feast of the apiff annie. let us pray that this instigation of violence will provide our country toll heal. n i invoke the song of st. francis. san atron saint of francisco and the song is our anthem, lord, make me a channel of our peace where there is darkness, let me bring light, where there is hatred, let us

bring hope. we know that we be part of history in a positive way today every four years when we dwemon straight the peaceful transfer of power. from one president to the next. and despite the shameful actions of today, we still will do so, we will be part of a history that are shows the world that america is made of. that these -- this assault, this assault is just that that shows the weakness of those who had to show through violence what their message was. my colleagues, it's time to move on. i gave it to john lewis, the

weekend before he left us. and it's a flag of our country, a flag of the united states of america. one t says, one country, destiny, one country, one destiny. that was also what was lincoln'sd in abraham coat that he had on that fateful night. lincoln's party, one message, one country, one destiny. let us pray. i'm a big believer in prayer. let us pray there will be peace on earth and that it will begin with us. let us pray that god will continue to bless america. with that, let us proceed with

our responsibilities to the constitution to which we have st within 72 hours taken the oath to uphold. for what purpose does the gentleman from maryland seek recognition? mr. hoyer: i rise in opsigs to the objection. the speaker: the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. hoyer: it is a sad day in america. it is a wrenching day in america. in a day -- it is a day in which r words and our actions have had consequences of a very, very negative nature. we ought to watch our words.

and think what it may mean to ome. remarks were written before the tragic, dangerous and unacceptable actions and unacceptable is a tame word. my remarks started with, madam speaker, the american people are witnessing the greatest challenges to our democracy in its 244-year history. that this i know capitol would be attacked by the enemy within. i was here on 9/11 when we were attacked by the enemy without.

to eed to all work together tame and reduce the anger. some s, the hate that .toke but some, not all, madam speaker, but some in this house and senate what they are doing today will not change the outcome of the election, which is the clear and insurmountable biden and elect vice president harris. instead all they will accomplish is to further the dangerous division. this was written before this capitol was assaulted.

efore this democracy was put side by thousands. encouraged by the commander in chief. instead, all they will accomplish is to encourage the dangerous divisions among our foreign d energize conspiracies which seek to erode our democracy and system of free and fair elections. . was here in 2000 i was strongly in favor of al gore for president. and my candidate got more votes than the other candidate. his name was george bush, of

course. and one of the saddest days was january 20 of 2001 when our candidate, who won the election in my view, was not elected. but it was also one of the proudest moments of my career, because the greatest power on from assed peacefully bill clinton to george w. bush. notal shot was fired. not anyone assaulted this congress or this chamber. because we were not disappointed? no. because we were not angry? no. democracy.believe in we believe in we, the people. and the way the people, one of

the speakers, i think it was the senator from texas said we are here for the people. if those were the people, we are in a lot of trouble. our electoral system, our democratic system, however, did of reak under the strains the misinformation, the claims of fraud, which court after court after court have dismissed out of hand. not because there was little evidence, but because there was no evidence. that's why we have the longest lasting con city stutional democracy in the world. i hope we are proud of that and understand why that's the case, onause as dick gephardt said

this floor many years ago, democracy is a substitute for war to resolve differences. it proved once more than ever beating strong heart that gives our republic our freedoms. that strength is derived from our institution and our laws. but most importantly, it is powered by citizens and leaders committed to our constitution, not just us, we swear an oath. that is all of america. barack obama spoke from that chamber and he said, i'm going o be taking another title next year, citizen. and he was proud to take that and every citizen needs to protect, preserve and uplift our democracy. some today did not do that. many today.

68 years ago in springfield, illinois, governor stevenson gracefully conceded his loss to dwight eisenhower and said it is traditional american and told his disappointers to fight hard but then he added that it is equally to close ranks as soon as the people have spoken. not the congress, not the electors the people have spoken. that which unite us as american citizens is far greater than that which divides us. -- us as political partiers. it was another man from spring springfield, four scores and eight years earlier, who won re-election to the presidency and the national crisis that tested our country and its democratic institutions. who pleaded even in his hour of ctory for the same spirit of

reconciliation. that was the party of lincoln. that hasn't happened to this hour. lincoln said, now that the election is over, he asked, may not all having a common interest reunite in a common effort to save our common country. such is the duty of an american who stands for elections, or participates in our politics, to be either humble in triumph or gracious in defeat. i've lost some elections. not too many. and i've won a lot of elections. and i hope that i've been gracious in defeat and humble in victory. i hope that i put my state and my country first. not myself.

it is clear to all that the outgoing president has not followed the path that stevenson and lincoln urged. so we the people, each one of us represents about 750,000 to 800,000 people. some a few less. the people. and they've spoken. in the way that our constitution set for them to be heard by us and by the country. they voted. and they voted pretty decisively. we the people together must turn away from division and its dangers. the senior member of our body, done young from alaska, spoke -- don young from alaska, spoke the other day when we were sworn in and said, ladies and gentlemen of this house, we are so divisive that it's going to destroy our country and we need to reach out and hold one another's hands.

we all have a title that we honor more than any other. perhaps parent, perhaps husband. . t we are all americans not americans are, not americans -- americans r, not americans d. we are americans. let us hope today that, tonight, that we act like americans. not as d's and r's, but as americans. just as al gore, just as hillary clinton, just ased aly stevenson, just as abraham lincoln, who had won that election, of course, but he had defeated people, he said, that's not the issue. the issue is to reunite. we the people must again be the strong heart of our american democracy. we the people on this day in congress must be agents of unity and constructive action to face the grave threats that

confront us. and tell those who would assault our capitol, that is ot the american way. and we the members of congress, who swore an oath before god to preserve and protect the constitution of the united states and our democracy must do so now. i don't usually read senator mcconnell's speeches. but i'm not speaking as a democrat, nor was he speaking as a republican. , we're ew hours ago debating a step that has never been taken in american history. whether congress should overrule the voters and overturn a presidential election. he went on to say that he supports a strong state-led voting reform. the constitution, he said, gives us here in congress a

limited role. we cannot simply declare ourselves a national board of elections on steroids. the voters, the courts and the states, the voters, the courts nd the states have all spoken. five people said the election of 2000 was over. we didn't agree with them. but al gore said, we are a nation of laws. five people, yes, they were members of the supreme court, but they were five people said the election is over. and i sat on that podium and saw that power transfer to george w. bush. mcconnell went on to say, if we overrule them, it would damage our republic forever.

he said that, mcconnell, the republican leader in the senate, about two hours ago. three hours ago. ow four hours. he went on to say, if this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy ould enter a death spiral. he concluded, it would be unfair and wrong to disenfranchise american voters and overrule the courts and states on this extraordinarily thin basis. and i will not pretend such a vote would be a harmless protest gesture. -- resently he spoke presciently he spoke. people who think the election was stolen, there was some fraud.

why do they think it, because the commander in chief said so and they respect him and follow him and words matter. i will not pretend such a vote would be harmless gesture, while relying on others to do the right thing. i will vote to respect the people's decision and defend our system of government as we know it. urge my colleagues to vote no on this objection, as mcconnell said, a danger to our democracy. and i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker: for what purpose does the gentleman from california seek recognition? mr. mccarthy: i rise for the point of personal privilege, to address the house for five minutes. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentleman is recognized for five minutes. mr. mccarthy: thank you, madam speaker.

i rise to address what happened in this chamber today. and where do we go from here? the violence, destruction and chaos we saw earlier was unacceptable, undemocratic and un-american. it was the saddest day i've ever had as serving as a member of this institution. the capitol was in chaos. police officers were attacked. guns were drawn on this very floor. a woman tragically lost her life. no one wins when this building and what it stands for are destroyed. america and this institution is better than this. we saw the worst of america this afternoon. yet in the midst of violence and fear, we also saw the best of america.

it starts with our law enforcement, the capitol police, the national guard. the f.b.i., the secret service, who face the most difficult challenges but did their duty with confidence and strength. many of them are injured right now. and it also extends to this chamber, where both democrats and republicans showed courage, calm and resolve. i'd like to recognize the members now who helped to hold the line. mark wayne mullin, tony pat lez, jason crow,

fallon and troy nehls. working with the capitol police, they ensured the floor of this chamber was never breached. these are the heroes among us. thank you for this sign of courage. looking back on the past few hours, it is clear this congress will not be the same after today. and i hope it will be the better. i hope not just this institution, but i hope every american, pauses for that thinks among themselves, that we can

disagree with one another but not dislike each other. we can respect the voices of others. there's many times we debate on this body and we should. there's many times we can get heated. i still consider steny hoyer a very good friend. there's times i get upset, i'll call him at home to express the things i may not see fair or just. but that's the way we should handle things. the majority leader is right. we are all americans first. but should we also think for a moment what we put on social media, what we convey to one another. just because you have a personal opinion different than mine, you have a right to say it, but nobody has a right to become a mob. and we all should stand united

n condemning the mob together. we saw problems before our nation, not through destruction -- solve problems before our nation, not through destruction, but through debate. that is the heart of this democracy. i know what we debate today is tough. but it's just. it's right. this isn't the first side of the aisle that's ever debated his issue. i thought what madam speaker said back in 2005, this is democracy at its best. when they talked about a presidential election in ohio. these are the moments that we should raise the issue about integrity and accountability and accuracy in our elections. but you know what we should do, the next difference?

not just raise the issue, but work together to solve the roblems. now is the moment, now is the oment to show america we can work best together. i will tell you, the size of the majority is slim, so it gives us the opportunity to make that happen. the only thing that can hold us back is the will of one another to do it. this side of the aisle always believes in working with anybody who wants to move it forward. that does not mean that we're going to agree 100% of the time, that does not mean our voice cannot be heard. that does not mean we cannot be treated fairly. we should be. that may mean on the size of committees, that means on our ability to offer an amendment, it means on our ability to have our voice.

but the end of the day, it helps us come to a better conclusion. by returning here to complete the work, -- we were sent to do, we're proving that our democracy cannot be disrupted by criminal behavior. we will not falter, we will not bend, and we will not shrink from our duty. let me be very clear. mobs don't rule america. laws rule america. it was true when our cities were burning this summer and it's true now. when america -- when americans go to bed tonight, their lasting memory should not be a congress overrun by rioters. it must be a resolute congress conducting healthy debate. we may not disagree on a lot in america, but tonight we must show the world that we will

respectfully but thoroughly carry out the most basic duties of democracy. we will continue with the t.s.a. that we have been sent here to you -- task that we have been sent here to do. we will follow the constitution and the law and the process for hearing valid concerns about election integrity. e'll do it with respect. we will respect your opinion and respect what you say and willing to listen to you. i think the nation will be better for it on both sides of the aisle. let's show the country, the mob did not win. we have a job to do and let's do it with pride and be better when the sun ♪ watching c-span, your unfiltered view of government.