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Live coverage this month as Republicans take control of both chambers of Congress and a new chapter begins with the swearing-in of the 47th President of the United States on Monday, live from the House chamber. | |
| Witness Vice President Kamala Harris preside over the certification of the Electoral College vote where this historic session will officially confirm Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election. | ||
| And on January 20th, tune in for our live all-day coverage of the presidential inauguration as Donald Trump takes the oath of office, becoming the 47th President of the United States. | ||
| Stay with C-SPAN this month for comprehensive, live, unfiltered coverage of the 119th Congress and the presidential inauguration, C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered. | ||
| And now Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. | ||
| They offered their first remarks on the Senate floor for the opening day of the 119th Congress. | ||
| Mr. President, before I begin my remarks, I want to mention the very deadly terrorist attack that took place in New Orleans in the early hours of New Year's Day. | ||
| This ISIS-inspired attack took the lives of 14 innocent victims and injured at least 30 others. | ||
| My prayers today, along with the prayers of so many Americans, are with all those grieving the loss of a loved one and with the injured and their families. | ||
| In Las Vegas, law enforcement agents are working around the clock to understand the motivation of an Army soldier who blew up a Tesla truck in front of the Trump Hotel on the same day, injuring seven others. | ||
| We expect our federal, state, and local law enforcement to pursue every lead so that the American people understand what led to both of these attacks. | ||
| Mr. President, I also want to mention the passing of former President Jimmy Carter, who died peacefully on December 29th at his home in Georgia at the age of 100. | ||
| He was governor of Georgia, President of the United States, but was perhaps even better known for the work that he did after leaving office to promote peace and help those in need, most notably through his decades-long work with Habitat for Humanity. | ||
| I will have much more to say about President Carter next week, but for today, I just want to extend my condolences and my prayers to his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren as they mourn their father and grandfather. | ||
| Mr. President, I want to welcome members to the 119th Congress, particularly those freshman senators who took the office oath of office this morning. | ||
| And congratulations to the new Secretary of the Senate, a great South Dakotan, and the new Senate Sergeant-at-Arms who are assuming their roles today. | ||
| I am grateful for their service. | ||
| Mr. President, the words of the oath, which we hear at the start of each new Congress, are a reminder of the profound responsibility with which we have been trusted, and that is to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. | ||
| 237 years ago, representatives from the states gathered together in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and produced something essentially unique in human history, a blueprint for our new country founded on history, not on history or conquest, but on a set of ideas. | ||
| It was not a perfect document, as even our founders attested by making provisions for amendments, but it was and remains one of the greatest and most important political documents in the history of the world. | ||
| It has made us as a country, it has made us a country that people around the world look to as a beacon of freedom, the shining city on the hill. | ||
| It is the solemn responsibility of those of us here in Congress to preserve our Constitution, to guard it against enemies both foreign and domestic, and to ensure that it continues to stand, so that our nation continues to stand as a bulwark of freedom and human rights. | ||
| Mr. President, when it came time to draft the Constitution, the founders established safeguards, checks and balances throughout our government to keep the government in check and ensure that the rights of all Americans were protected. | ||
| One of those safeguards was the United States Senate. | ||
| In his discussion of the Senate and Federal 162, the author notes, and I quote, a Senate as a second branch of the Legislative Assembly, distinct from and dividing power with a first, must be in all cases a salutary check on the government. | ||
| It doubles the security to the people by requiring the concurrence of two distinct bodies in schemes of usurpation or perfidy. | ||
| He further notes, and I quote again, that as the improbability of sinister combinations will be in proportion to the dissimilarity in the genius of the two bodies, it must be politic to distinguish them from each other by every circumstance which will consist with the due harmony in all proper measures and with the genuine principles of Republican government. | ||
| End quote. | ||
| And the founders did indeed distinguish the House from the Senate. | ||
| They made the Senate smaller and senators' terms of office longer with the intention of creating a more stable, more thoughtful, more deliberative legislative body to check ill-considered or intemperate legislation and protect the rights of the American people. | ||
| As the past 237 years attest, it is a structure that has served this nation well. | ||
| Unfortunately, today there are a lot of people out there who would like to see the Senate turn into a copy of the House of Representatives. | ||
| And that, Mr. President, is not what our founders intended or what our country needs. | ||
| And one of my priorities as leader will be to ensure that the Senate stays the Senate. | ||
| That means preserving the legislative filibuster. | ||
| The Senate rule that today has perhaps the greatest impact on preserving the founders' vision of the United States Senate. | ||
| It also means restoring the Senate as a place of discussion and deliberation. | ||
| That includes empowering committees, restoring regular order, and engaging in extended debate on the Senate floor where all members should have a chance to make their voices and the voices of their constituents heard. | ||
| We have a lot to do this Congress. | ||
| Border security, extending the tax relief Republicans delivered during the first Trump administration, lifting burdensome and expensive government regulations to help American businesses and families flourish. | ||
| Providing for our nation's defense in an increasingly unstable world. | ||
| Bringing appropriations bills to the floor for serious deliberation so that we make the best possible use of taxpayer dollars. | ||
| An overdue farm bill to update farm programs for farmers and ranchers to reflect current agriculture needs. | ||
| And Mr. President, the list goes on. | ||
| Mr. President, in past years, I've listened to speeches delivered by other leaders welcoming members to the new Congress and discussing the agenda for the coming months. | ||
| I now find myself in the position of delivering that speech. | ||
| My Republican colleagues have trusted me to lead our party and the Senate in the next Congress, and I will work every day to be worthy of that trust. | ||
| My philosophy of leadership comes from my dad. | ||
| He was a basketball coach at our high school, and he had some very strong opinions about the right way to play. | ||
| Sports to him was not about personal glory. | ||
| It was about elevating the team. | ||
| He hated ballhogs. | ||
| If someone else was in a better position to take the shot, you always made the extra pass. | ||
| You didn't try to pad your own statistics. | ||
| It's an attitude which I've tried to carry with me throughout my life. | ||
| And it's an attitude I intend to carry with me to the leader office. | ||
| My job is to be of service to my colleagues and to our country. | ||
| Ms. President, I'm here today addressing the Senate in this role because of the confidence my colleagues have placed in me. | ||
| But I'm here, first of all, because of the confidence placed in me by the people of South Dakota. | ||
| Without the trust that they've given me, I would not have had an opportunity to serve at all, much less have had the opportunity to serve as the majority leader of the United States Senate. | ||
| And my first priority here in Congress is always, always, to serve the people of my state. | ||
| Mr. President, I grew up in a small town in South Dakota, in the town of Murdo. | ||
| Population today roughly around 500 people. | ||
| We didn't even have a traffic light when I was growing up there, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. | ||
| Life in Murdo had a beautiful simplicity. | ||
| Sure, it had one or two drawbacks. | ||
| With a population that small, we Thune kids could be sure that our parents would have heard all about any of our misdemeanors before we even made it home. | ||
| But small-town life was wonderful. | ||
| In Murdoch, you know everyone, and everyone knows you. | ||
| And that gave us a sense of community and belonging that we carry to this day. | ||
| I remember the day I told my mom that I was going to run for Congress. | ||
| She was excited, obviously, and confidently told me, I know that you'll carry Murdo. | ||
| In Murdoch, I learned the character of South Dakotans, the work ethic, the commitment to freedom coupled with a belief in personal responsibility, the sense of responsibility to the broader community. | ||
| Growing up, we knew that if a roof collapsed under the weight of snow or a windstorm came through and wiped out a barn, or we lost or a friend or a family member, the whole community would rally to help. | ||
| And that same attitude is reflected in towns across our state. | ||
| The South Dakota values I learned growing up helped shape my political philosophy, my belief that government should be limited and that it's best when it's closest to the people. | ||
| And that if a matter can be handled at the state or the local level, it should be. | ||
| That the legacy of the past is something to be cherished and preserved while leaving room for change and adaptation when needed. | ||
| That freedom is a sacred gift and one that must be defended. | ||
| And that with freedom comes responsibility. | ||
| And finally, that while government is necessary, government is not where we should look for salvation. | ||
| Mr. President, none of us gets where we are alone. | ||
| And I owe thanks to many people. | ||
| To my parents, Pat and Harold, who gave us Thune Kids undying love and commitment, a strong set of values, and the most precious gift of all, faith. | ||
| To my brothers and sister, to my beloved wife Kimberly, who is here with me today. | ||
| And let me say, Mr. President, that I married up. | ||
| And I'm grateful every day for Kimberly's love and wisdom, her advice and support, and her endless patience. | ||
| It's not an easy thing to be married to a member of Congress. | ||
| It's not an easy thing to have a member of Congress for a dad either. | ||
| And I'm grateful not only for my wife's enduring support, but for the support of my daughters, Brittany and Larissa. | ||
| They are here today in the Senate as well with their husbands Luke and Scott, and with all of our grandchildren, John Mark, Lucy, Henley, Hewitt, Haven, and one yet to be named Little One on the Way, who have brought me and Kimberly an immense amount of joy. | ||
| Mr. President, not one of us is here, one of us here in Congress could last a day without our staffs. | ||
| And so I want to thank all of those who spend and have spent long days and long nights in my office serving South Dakotans and the American people. | ||
| Finally, Mr. President, I thank God who has richly blessed me in every way. | ||
| As it says in the scriptures, for from him and through him and for him are all things, to him be the glory forever. | ||
| Amen. | ||
| Mr. President, I yield the floor. | ||
| Mr. President. | ||
| Senate Democratic Leader. | ||
| First, let me concur in the remarks my colleague made about the tragedies in New Orleans and on the West Coast and on Las Vegas, and we regret that. | ||
| I also want to say a word about Jimmy Carter. | ||
| Last week, America mourned the loss of one of the most decent and humble public servants we've ever seen, President Jimmy Carter. | ||
| President Carter was a living embodiment of leadership through service, compassion, and a thirst for justice for all. | ||
| I'll have more to say about our president in the coming days. | ||
| We will all have more to say about the loss of this wonderful and inspiring American. | ||
| It's rare that someone leaves the presidency only to continue building his legacy to even higher levels, as President Carter did. | ||
| But that's a testament to how rare and special a person he was, from improving room and rights to his tireless efforts alongside his wife Rosalind with Habitat for Humanity. | ||
| He inspired millions with his unwavering commitment to justice and equality. | ||
| We pray for his family. | ||
| We pray for his loved ones. | ||
| May his memory be a blessing and an enduring reminder of what it means to truly serve. | ||
| Now, Mr. President, first welcome to all of my colleagues to the 119th Congress. | ||
| I hope everyone had a blessed and happy start to the new year full of family and loved ones. | ||
| I was lucky enough to have just that. | ||
| Today, the Senate begins a new chapter in its distinguished history. | ||
| We begin our work at a moment of crossroads for our country. | ||
| We convene at a time of uncertainty for American democracy, for America's economy, and for the future leadership of America on the world stage. | ||
| These challenges that we face as a nation are great, and so must be our resolve. | ||
| Let me first begin by acknowledging my friend and colleague, the former Republican leader, Senator McConnell. | ||
| For as long as I've served as Democratic leader, he has sat opposite me across the aisle. | ||
| As he transitions away from leadership, it was nice seeing him in the seat over there where he didn't have to get up all the time. | ||
| I'd like to thank him for those important occasions when we worked together despite our many fierce disagreements. | ||
| Let me also congratulate another colleague, our new Republican leader, John Thune. | ||
| Leader Thune and I have served in this chamber for a long time. | ||
| I know he is a good and decent American, someone who loves his country, as we all do. | ||
| I know he just became leader a moment ago, so I hope he doesn't mind if I offer some unsolicited advice. | ||
| The majority leader sets the tone, and that tone determines to a large extent how successful we'll be moving forward. | ||
| If we look back at all the bills we passed in 21, 2021, and 2022, most of them originated in the Senate because both parties found ways to reach across the aisle. | ||
| I want to work with the new Republican leader to keep that bipartisan streak going in the new year. | ||
| I don't expect we'll agree on everything or even many things, but there will still be opportunities to improve the lives of the American people if we're willing to work together. | ||
| So today I congratulate Leader Thune and look forward to serving alongside him in the 119th Congress. | ||
| Let me also congratulate all our returning colleagues who have just taken their oaths of office. | ||
| It's a great honor to serve in this chamber with you. | ||
| The work we do in this chamber has the potential to create enormous prosperity for millions of American people, if we do our jobs right. | ||
| So I challenge our new members, as my new colleagues, to make the most of the next six years. | ||
| It'll go by faster than you'd think. | ||
| On the Democratic side, it brings me great joy and excitement to welcome our six new colleagues to the Democratic caucus. | ||
| I've spent the last year or so getting to know every single one of them as candidates, and seeing them finally raise their hands, take the oath, and walk amongst us as colleagues fills us all with pride. | ||
| Now, every time Democrats welcome new members to our caucus, it's an exciting day. | ||
| But I am particularly excited to get to work with this uniquely talented new class. | ||
| I expect will accomplish many good things for the American people and prevent bad things from being done to them. | ||
| This year's class is distinct in two ways. | ||
| They are not only unusually experienced, but many of them are making history by taking the oath of office. | ||
| First, I'd like to welcome Senator Ruben Gallego from the great state of Arizona. | ||
| Senator Galliego arrives to the Senate as a veteran legislator, both literally and figuratively. | ||
| He served our country as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, served the people of Arizona as a longtime member of the House. | ||
| Now that he's taken the oath of office, the people of Arizona have a Hispanic senator representing them for the first time ever. | ||
| From the state of Delaware, I'd like to welcome Lisa Blunt Rochester. | ||
| Many of us know Senator Blunt Rochester well because like many of our new colleagues, she was a longtime member of the House. | ||
| Five of our new six colleagues were House members, so they have a lot of great experience. | ||
| And where she climbed up the ranks of leadership to become assistant whip while serving on the influential Committee on Energy and Commerce. | ||
| Like other history-making members of our class, Senator Blunt Rochester is the first woman and the first person of color ever to represent Delaware in the Senate. | ||
| Let me welcome our new colleague from Maryland, Senator Angela Olsobrooks. | ||
| Born and raised in Prince George's County, she was the youngest person and first woman ever elected as the top law enforcement officer of the county she grew up in. | ||
| So she has immense experience in fighting crime, standing up for victims of abuse and violence, and helping working-class Americans as county executive. | ||
| And she now becomes the first African-American senator ever to serve from the state of Maryland. | ||
| From the state of Michigan, we're excited to welcome Senator Alyssa Slotkin, another deeply experienced public servant. | ||
| She's another longtime veteran of the House and one of America's top national security experts. | ||
| At a time when Americans demand bipartisanship, Senator Slotkin knows how to do it. | ||
| She served in the CIA under President Bush and in the Department of Defense under President Obama. | ||
| And finally, I'd like to acknowledge two more colleagues who have already taken their oaths but deserve special recognition on this special day. | ||
| Senator Adam Schiff from California, Senator Andy Kim from New Jersey. | ||
| A longtime member of the House, Senator Schiff is a well-known leader to many of us, admired for his thoughtfulness, his eloquence, and fierce love of democracy. | ||
| And finally, last but certainly not least, I'd like to congratulate our newest colleague from New Jersey, Senator Andy Kim. | ||
| He boasts an impressive record as a longtime leader in the House, a top national security expert and diplomat, and is the first Korean American from any state to serve in the Senate. | ||
| So to our new colleagues, we say welcome. | ||
| We're excited to work with you. | ||
| We're ready to help you. | ||
| And as you find your bearings, we urge you never to lose sight of the great responsibility you carry as a member of this body. | ||
| Now, the election is behind us. | ||
| It's time to look to the future. | ||
| Now begins the hard work, the important work, the solemn work of rewarding the trust that the people have placed in us. | ||
| Very soon, a new administration will be sworn into office alongside the new majorities in Congress. | ||
| But for the first time in a long time, the next president will be someone we've seen before. | ||
| President-elect Trump will return to the Oval Office. | ||
| In the first day of the 119th Congress, I'd like to take a moment to talk about how Senate Democrats will approach the next two years. | ||
| It can be summarized like this. | ||
| Democrats stand united, not because of who we fight against, but because of who we are fighting for, the American people. | ||
| We are here ready to fight for the American people. | ||
| We are here to fight for the working class of this country. | ||
| We are here to build ladders of opportunity to the middle class. | ||
| Democrats aren't a monolith. | ||
| We come from many different states, have many different opinions. | ||
| But we grew up in places as varied as Brooklyn, New York, and Atlanta, Georgia. | ||
| We're from the West Coast, the East Coast, the industrial Midwest, and everywhere in between. | ||
| And we sometimes disagree, just as any tight-knit family disagrees. | ||
| But Democrats are united, fiercely united, when it comes to fighting for working Americans, for working families. | ||
| In the months and years to come, Democrats will show where our values lie through our actions and words and through the policies we push in this chamber. | ||
| Democrats are here to tackle the biggest problems that face our country. | ||
| Democrats are here because we need to make housing more affordable for the millions struggling to keep a roof over their heads. | ||
| We need to make sure Americans earn higher paychecks, keep more of their paychecks too. | ||
| Democrats are here because we want to lower the cost of child care, an outrageously high expense, for too many American families who struggle to give the best lives for themselves and their children. | ||
| Democrats are here to defend a woman's right to choose, to defend our fundamental liberties, to defend the wellspring of democracy. | ||
| We want to help our small business owners thrive and function as the engines of our economy. | ||
| We want to help Americans save more money when they go to the grocery store, when they go to the pharmacy, when they pay their cable and internet bill. | ||
| We want to make sure Americans aren't ripped off by giant corporations through hidden fees and predatory behavior. | ||
| Democrats stand ready to make lives better for the American people. | ||
| We want to work with anyone and hold the line whenever necessary to achieve that goal. | ||
| Mr. President, the time to get to work is now. | ||
| It's a new day, a new Congress, and Democrats stand united and ready to fight and deliver for the American people. | ||
| I yield the floor. | ||
| Note the absence of a call. | ||
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Clerk will call the roll. | |
| Ms. Also Brooks. | ||
| Coming up, President Biden will speak at a reception for new Democratic members of Congress. | ||
| Watch live coverage starting at 7 p.m. Eastern on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile video app, or online at c-span.org. | ||
| Democracy is always an unfinished creation. | ||
| Democracy is worth dying for. | ||
| Democracy belongs to us all. | ||
| We are here in the sanctuary of democracy. | ||
| Great responsibilities fall once again to the great democracies. | ||
| American democracy is bigger than any one person. | ||
| Freedom and democracy must be constantly guarded and protected. | ||
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We are still at our core a democracy. | |
| This is also a massive victory for democracy and for freedom. | ||
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A live look from the Carter Center in Atlanta, where the 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter is lying in repose. | |
| He passed away on December 29th at age 100. | ||
| The public will be allowed to pay their respects to him until Tuesday morning. | ||
| Former President Carter will then be transferred to Washington, D.C., where he'll lie in state at the U.S. Capitol until Thursday morning. | ||
| coverage here on C-SPAN. | ||
| A live look from the Carter Center in Atlanta where the 39th U.S. President Jimmy Carter is lying in repose. | ||
| He passed away on December 29th at age 100. | ||
| The public will be allowed to pay their respects to him until Tuesday morning. | ||
| Former President Carter will then be transferred to Washington, D.C., where he'll lie in state at the U.S. Capitol until Thursday morning. | ||
| Live coverage here on C-span president Jimmy | ||
| Carter, the 39th president of the United States and the nation's longest lived leader, passed away last month at the age of 100. | ||
| Join C-SPAN for live coverage of the state funeral. | ||
| On Monday, the public will have the opportunity to pay their respects as President Carter lies in repose at the Carter Center. | ||
| On Tuesday, his journey continues to Washington, D.C., where he'll lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, with a service attended by members of Congress. | ||
| The public will again have the chance to honor him on Wednesday as his body remains in state at the U.S. Capitol. | ||
| On Thursday, the national funeral service will take place at Washington National Cathedral, followed by his final resting ceremony at the Carter Family Home in Plains, Georgia. | ||
| Watch C-SPAN's live coverage of the funeral services for former President Jimmy Carter on the C-SPAN networks, C-SPAN now, our free mobile video app, or online at C-SPAN.org. | ||
| Witness democracy unfiltered with C-SPAN. | ||
| Experience history as it unfolds with C-SPAN's live coverage this month as Republicans take control of both chambers of Congress and a new chapter begins with the swearing in of the 47th President of the United States. | ||
| On Monday, live from the House chamber, witness Vice President Kamala Harris preside over the certification of the Electoral College vote, where this historic session will officially confirm Donald Trump as the winner of the 2024 presidential election. | ||
| And on January 20th, tune in for our live all-day coverage of the presidential inauguration as Donald Trump takes the oath of office, becoming the 47th President of the United States. | ||
| Stay with C-SPAN this month for comprehensive, live, unfiltered coverage of the 119th Congress and the presidential inauguration, C-SPAN, Democracy Unfiltered. | ||
| And now from the C-SPAN archives, we hear from President-elect Trump's nominees in their own words as they speak in favor of his candidacy from the campaign trail. |