Madam speaker.
As We Gather here, we stand on sacred ground
the
Chamber of the United States,
House of Representatives,
the heart of American democracy.
I will never forget. The first time
I saw the capital,
it was on a cold January
day when I was 6 years old. My father, Thomas
dalesandro jr.
Was about to be sworn in for his fifth term in Congress
representing
our beloved hometown of
Baltimore.
I was riding the car with my brothers
and they were thrilled and jumping up and down and saying to me
Nancy. No, Nancy look, there’s the Capitol
and I keep every time I’d say,
I don’t see any capital.
Is it a capital
A and capital b or a Capital C?
And finally,
I saw it.
A stunning white building
with a magnificent Dome.
I believed, then as I believe today,
this is the most
most beautiful building in the world because of
what it represents.
The capital is a temple of our democracy
of our constitution
of our highest ideals
on that day.
On that day.
I stood with my father on this floor,
as he took a sacred oath
to support and defend the Constitution of the United
States
against all enemies
foreign and domestic.
All of us who have served in this house, have taken
the hallowed oath of authors
and it is the oh that stitches us together
in a long and storied Heritage colleagues
who served before us
are all our colleagues
colleagues. Like Abraham Lincoln
Daniel Webster
Shirley Chisholm
Patsy mink
and our beloved John Lewis
personally. It binds me as a colleague to my father,
a
proud New Deal to congressman,
and one of the earliest
Italian Americans
to serve in the Congress.
And this is an oath. We are duty-bound to keep
and it links us with the highest aspirations
of the ages
in this room.
Our colleagues across history.
Have abolished slavery,
granted
Women, the right to vote established Social Security
and Medicare
offered a hand to the week,
care to the sick, education to the young
and hope to the many
indeed. It is here
under the Gaze of our patriarch,
George Washington
in the people’s house
that we have done
the people’s work.
My colleagues I stand before you as Speaker of the House
as a wife,
a mother,
a grandmother, a devout Catholic, a proud Democrat,
and a patriotic, American, a citizen of the greatest Republic
in the history of the world,
which president.
Lincoln called the last best Hope
on Earth
indeed. In the words attributed to another of our colleagues
the legendary Daniel Webster,
he said
hold on my friends
to the constitution
of your country
and the government established under it,
miracles do not cluster
that which has happened. But once in six thousand
years
cannot be expected to happen
often
indeed.
Democracy is majestic,
but it is fragile.
Many of us here have witnessed its first out. Fragility, firsthand
tragically in this chamber
and so democracy must be
forever defended from forces that wish it harm.
Last
week, the American people, spoke
and their voices were raised in defense of Liberty
of the rule of law
and of democracy itself.
With these elections, the people stood in the breach and repelled
The Assault on Democracy. They were soundly rejected
violence and Insurrection
and in doing so,
gave proof
through the night
that our flag was still there.
And now we owed to the American. People are very best
to deliver on their faith
to Forever reach for the more perfect union.
Glorious Horizon that our Founders
promised the questions
before others Congress. And in this moment or urgent
questions about the ideals that this house
is charged by the Constitution
to preserve and protect establish
justice insure domestic tranquility provide
for the common defense, promote the general welfare and
secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves.
Ourselves
and our posterity
our prosperity,
our children
babies born today will live into the next century
and
our decisions will determine their future
for generations to come
while we will have our disagreements on policy.
We must remain fully committed to our shared
fundamental
mission
to hold strong to our most treasured
democratic ideals.
To cherish the spark of divinity,
And each and every one of us
and to always
put our country first.
And their Infinite Wisdom.
Our Founders gave us their kind,
their guidance
e, pluribus
unum,
from anyone,
they could not have imagined how large our country would become
or how different we would be from one another,
but they knew we had
to be United
as one,
we, the people
one country.
One destiny
has been with great pride in my 35 years in the house. I
have seen this body grow,
more reflective
of our great nation, our beautiful Nation.
When I came to the Congress in 1987,
there were 12 Democratic women
now, they’re over 90
and we want more.
The new members of our Democratic caucus will be about 75
percent women. People of color and lgbtq
and we have brought more voices to the decision-making table
when
I entered leadership
and 2002.
There were eight of us
today.
There are 17
members of the leadership
When I first came to the floor at six years old,
never would I have thought that someday I would go from
Homemaker to house speaker.
In fact, I never
Fact I never intended to run for public office,
mommy and daddy taught us through their example. That
public service is a noble calling
and that we all have a responsibility to help others
in
our family. My brother, Tommy, then became
mayor of Baltimore also,
but it’s
in my
been my privilege to play a part in forging
extraordinary, progress
for the American people. I have enjoyed working
with three presidents
of
Achieving historic investments, in clean energy
with
President George Bush.
Transformed Health Care reform with President Barack
Obama.
And forging
and forging the future
from infrastructure to healthcare to climate action
with President Joe Biden.
Now, we must move boldly into the future
grounded by the principles that have propelled us
this far
and open to Fresh
possibilities for the future.
Scripture teaches us that for everything.
There is a season,
a time for every purpose under heaven,
My friends, no matter what title,
you all, my colleagues have bestowed upon me
speaker
leader.
Whip
there is no greater official honor for me
than to stand on this floor and to speak for the people
of San Francisco.
This I will continue to do as a member of the House,
speaking for the people of San Francisco
serving the great state of California
and defending our Constitution.
And with great confidence
in our caucus,
As I will not seek re-election
to Democratic Leadership in the next Congress.
For me, the hours come for a new generation
to lead the Democratic caucus
that I so deeply respect.
And I’m grateful that so many
are ready and willing
to shoulder this. Awesome responsibility
Madam speaker
standing here today, I’m endlessly grateful
for all of life’s blessings
for my Democratic colleagues whose courage
and commitment with.
The support of your families
have made many
of these accomplishments
possible,
in fact could not have been done without you.
for my dear husband, Paul
who has been my beloved partner in life and my pillar of support
Thank
you.
We’re all grateful
for all the prayers and well, wishes as he continues
his recovery.
Thank you so much.
Frank darling, children and secure and Christine, Jacqueline.
Paul, and Alexandra, and our grandchildren, Alexander
and Aslan
Liam, Sean and Ryan,
Paul and Thomas, Bella and Octavio.
They are the joys of Our Lives
for whom we are.
And we are so very, very proud of them and a comfort
to us at this time.
And for my brilliant dedicated
and patriotic staff
under the leadership of Terry McCullough
together. Working together, the finest group of public
servants,
the house has ever known. Thank you all.
And again,
for those who sent me here for the people of San Francisco
for entrusting me with the high honor
of being their voice
in Congress.
And this continued work, I will strive to under
the call of the patron, saint of our city
st. Francis
Lord
make me an instrument
of thy peace.
In this house, we begin each day with a
prayer and a pledge to the flag. And
every day I am in all of the Majestic
miracle, that is American democracy as
we participate in a Hallmark of our Republic,
the peaceful orderly transition, from
one Congress to the next. Let us consider the
words of again.
Lincoln
spoken during one of America’s Darkest Hours,
he
called upon us to come together
to swell the chorus of the Union.
When once again, touched as surely, they will be
by the better angels of our nature.
That again, is the task at hand.
A new day is Dawning on the horizon
and I look forward, always forward
to the unfolding story
of our nation.
A story of light
and love
of patriotism, and progress
of many
becoming one
and always an unfinished mission
to make the dreams of today,
the reality
of tomorrow.
Thank you. All
may God bless you and your families
and may God bless. Continue to bless our veterans
and the United States of America. Thank you.