U.S. Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-California) was narrowly re-elected to serve as House Speaker of the 117th Congress on Sunday.
Pelosi won 216 votes compared with the 209 votes obtained by House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy who is also from California.
Five House Democrats did not support Pelosi’s re-election. Rep, Jared Golden of Maine voted for Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Rep. Conor Lamb of Pennsylvania voted for Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York. Three Democratic lawmakers voted present.
In her remarks, Pelosi said, “As we are sworn in today, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any previous generation of leadership have ever faced. We begin this new Congress during a time of extraordinary difficulty. Each of our communities has been drastically, drastically affected by the pandemic and it’s economic crisis: 350,000 tragic deaths, we sadly carry them in our hearts; over 20 million infections; millions without jobs – a toll beyond comprehension.”
Pelosi expressed gratitude to her Democratic colleagues for their confidence in her and re-electing her as House Speaker. She promised to “endeavor to meet the moment with courage, unity, and grace.”
She encouraged her fellow lawmakers to focus their pledge to advance liberty and justice for all.
“Every morning in this Chamber, we take the pledge: ‘One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ ‘Liberty and justice for all.’ Every day, this Congress must live up to that pledge,” said Pelosi.
Furthermore, she said, “In all that we do, let us be For The People – recognizing the beautiful diversity of America so that no one is left out and no one is left behind. We do so, guided by the vision of our Founders, the sacrifice of our military and their families, and the aspiration that we all have For The Children.
To do so, we need God’s blessing. May God bless all of us, God bless all of you, God bless our men and women in uniform and their families – their servicemembers and their families – our veterans, and may God bless America.”
