New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill D Delivers Inauguration Remarks
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, the first female Democrat elected to the role, swears office while honoring mentors like Mr. Jenkins and Ms. Cascio from her 1990 high school class and Navy service, framing leadership as duty. She declares a utility cost emergency, halting rate hikes and pushing solar infrastructure, targeting rent, healthcare, and education crises as non-partisan struggles. Citing New Jersey’s revolutionary legacy and failures like Trump-era "extortion," Sherrill vows accountability over rhetoric, protecting dissenters while championing marginalized communities—from Edison’s Patel brothers to bullied students—under the state’s "liberty and prosperity" motto. [Automatically generated summary]
Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, sat-12l-sm, and large-v3-turbo
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Honest Opinion Exchange00:02:57
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You present both sides of an issue and you allow people to make up their minds.
I absolutely love C-SPAN.
I love to hear both sides.
I've watch C-SPAN every morning and it is unbiased and you bring in factual information for the callers to understand where they are in their comments.
This is probably the only place that we can hear honest opinion of Americans across the country.
You guys at C-SPAN are doing such a wonderful job of allowing free exchange of ideas without a lot of interruptions.
Thank you, C-SPAN, for being a light in the dark.
Incoming New Jersey Governor Mikey Sherrill was sworn in as the first female Democrat to hold that office and delivered remarks at her inauguration.
She promised her administration would tackle issues such as affordability, particularly rising energy costs, and she took time to criticize the Trump administration.
I'm Mikey Sherrill.
I, Mikey Sherrill, elected governor of the state of New Jersey, elected governor of the state of New Jersey, do solemnly promise and swear that I will support the Constitution of the United States, that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the state of New Jersey and the Constitution of the state of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,
and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the governments established in the United States and to the governments established in the United States and in this state and in this state, under the authority of the people, under the authority of the people.
And that I will diligently, and that I will diligently, impartially and to the best of my knowledge and ability, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, execute the office in conformity with the powers delegated to me, in conformity with the powers delegated to me, and that I will and that I will, to the utmost of my skill and ability, to the utmost of my skill and ability, promote the peace and prosperity,
promote the peace and prosperity and maintain the lawful rights of the state of New Jersey and maintain the lawful rights of the state of New Jersey.
Thank you, honorable chief justice and justices of our Supreme Court, my fellow governors, our esteemed congressional delegation, mr.
Senate President, Mr. Speaker, majority and minority leaders, members of the legislature, elected officials, reverend clergy, honored guests, family and And friends, and, most importantly, New Jerseyans up and down the state.
I am incredibly honored to be standing before you as the 57th governor of the state of New Jersey.
I want to thank everyone who's traveled from near and far to be here today.
You have all made this day truly special.
My aunts and uncles, brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews, I can't tell you how much it means that you are all here.
Mom, Dad, Megan, Mary, I love you guys so much.
Thank you.
My classmates from Hunter's Woods Elementary School, Langston Hughes Middle School, and yes, the great South Lakes High School class of 1990.
Thank you for being here.
Mr. Jenkins, my principal, and Ms. Cascio, like so many people, I would not be here today without the great mentorship of wonderful teachers.
By classmates from the Naval Academy, shipmates, service members from the Navy, starting with pleads summer to duty stations around the world.
It was not just my training that informed my sense of service, it was all of you.
Thank you.
And in the U.S. military, we've always said we never fight alone.
That's because we fight alongside friends and allies.
So thank you to all of our ambassadors and consuls general for joining us here today.
Everyone from the U.S. Attorney's Office, working with you right down the street at the Rodino building was an honor.
And despite the troubles that our former office is now facing, I know your dedication to justice is unwavering.
My colleagues from Congress, thank you for your continued fight for health care, education, and good jobs.
America is lucky to have you fighting for her.
I want to give a special thank you to Governor Phil Murphy and First Lady Tammy Murphy.
You both have truly shepherded our state through perilous times and your dedication to improving the lives of working families, including by raising the minimum wage and fully funding the pension for the first time in decades.
Speak to your enduring concern for New Jersey and thank you.
There's a governor that I am so sorry won't be with us today.
Although Governor Cody just passed away, his dedication to our state and his connection to her people won't be forgotten.
I want to thank Essex County Executive Joe DiVincenzo and Mayor Raz Baraka.
Thank you for hosting us.
Thank you to the people of Newark for hosting us here today.
I want to thank the men and women of labor, especially the workers who proudly take care of this building.
And congratulations to our Lieutenant Governor, Dr. Dale Caldwell.
And to his daughter, Ashley.
I am so incredibly lucky to have a partner like you, and I look forward to making history with you today.
To my kids, Maggie, Lincoln, Ike, Merritt, you guys are the reason I'm doing this, and I love being your mom.
And finally, to my husband, Jason, you are a steady hand in the chaos of raising four kids, running multiple elections.
You offer sage and sometimes not sage advice.
You've been a true partner in the challenges we've taken on.
You are amazing and I love you.
And I'm going to take a moment of personal privilege because it's bugging me and I'm not sure if I said thank you to my mother-in-law and my father-in-law, Kathleen and Gary.
Quite frankly, thank you to every single person here today.
I value your support as we embark upon this administration and the challenges ahead.
We enter 2026 commemorating our nation's 250th anniversary.
New Jersey has been at the heart of our American story, the crossroads of the revolution, the site of our first major victory at the Battle of Trenton, the first state to sign the Bill of Rights.
So I am honored as we gather here today that we do so with New Jersey's original parchment copy of the Constitution on stage with us.
One of only 13 known to be in existence.
I wanted to take my oath on it.
It's a little large.
A document, by the way, that New Jersey unanimously ratified.
The Constitution, born out of challenges of the early Republic, clearly lays out our values to form a more perfect union, to promote the general welfare, to secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.
Because you see, inherent in our Constitution is a framework for opportunity, a commitment, a covenant that ties generations together.
this commitment to opportunity for the people of our country is also known the world over as the american dream and like so many families my american story did not begin that auspiciously From what relatives have told me, it includes people fleeing a famine, others fleeing religious persecution.
And even once they arrived here, the road to success was uneven.
Poverty, economic devastation, sometimes building something for your family only to lose it, forces beyond your control.
But over and over again, this country has offered my family opportunity found nowhere else in the world.
From my grandfather landing a good union job after the war to my opportunities in the first class of women eligible for combat roles in the Navy, the American dream starts with opening a door with an understanding that no matter who your parents are, where you're from, what religion you practice or ethnicity you claim,
the doors to opportunity in this country should be open to everyone.
That is the story of New Jersey.
And yes, we are far from perfect.
I know we are.
But generations of family have found their American dream here.
Immigrants sailing here from overseas, black families leaving the South to come here to find work.
People from all over the country and all over the world, again and again and again, finding opportunity here.
That's because New Jersey is an incredibly special place.
The course of American history has been determined here.
It was just across the street in Military Park where the cannons were just fired that Thomas Paine began to pen his pamphlet, The American Crisis.
It galvanized a nation.
During the Industrial Revolution, Trenton built this great nation.
Pikatinny Arsenal constantly defends our hard-won freedoms as the arsenal of our democracy.
So here in New Jersey, we have invented everything from the light bulb to the moving picture to the laser.
We have artists from Sinatra to Springsteen to SISA.
New Jersey, in my humble opinion, never gets enough appreciation.
So, as the newest leader of our great state for all these artists' battles and innovations, I just wanted to take a moment to say, you're welcome, America.
also assure you that our state will continue our great history of standing in the breach when our nation needs us.
You see, what makes us special is that sometimes, in some moments, the impossible is possible here.
So we are unafraid to take on tough challenges.
We never assume we've lost the fight before we even enter the ring.
So when I get asked, and I do get asked, was I surprised at the results of this election?
I can honestly say no, not in the least, because I know New Jersey.
Yes, we are loud and brash, and sometimes we tan like it's 1980.
Our giants, our jets, and eagles don't even claim our state is home despite our rabid devotion.
There are an inordinate number of young men wearing chains here, including my two sons.
We go home, we speak different languages.
You know, in this election, I learned that in South Jersey, they pronounced Taylor Ham pork roll.
But we all go home at night and we hug our kids and we worry about them.
We worry about our parents.
We worry about ourselves and our future.
But because we live here, we refuse to give in to fear or despair.
That spirit, defiant, yet always looking to the future, has always defined us.
In fact, not too far away in the greater Camden metropolitan region, in a place called Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson wrote a Declaration of our Independence, marking the birth of this great nation.
This entirely unique and revolutionary declaration claimed human beings had universal rights to life, to liberty, to the pursuit of happiness, not because of who their parents were, but because every human being is endowed with these rights by their creator, not by a king.
The earth has rarely seen an idea put to paper that has ignited such a fire in her people, a fire that has burned for 250 years.
As enslaved people, women, oppressed people from around the world and from every walk of life read our founding documents and demanded their own path to those same universal rights.
Our declaration denounces tyranny and listed those attacks on our rights committed by England's king.
The list of grievances in our Declaration of Independence included these charges against the king.
He has refused his assent to laws.
He has obstructed the administration of justice.
He has made judges dependent on his will alone.
And yes, he has kept among us in times of peace standing armies without the consent of our legislatures.
And this election proved that the people of New Jersey recognize the parallels.
That we see a president illegally usurping power, unconstitutionally enacting a terror regime to make billions for himself and his family while everyone else sees their costs go higher.
Here, we demand people in public service actually serve the public instead of buying themselves planes and cars and extorting money.
And on November 4th, the people of New Jersey once again gave the nation a glimmer of something it hadn't felt in months.
Yes, 250 years after the Declaration, 250 years after General George Washington crossed the Delaware into the promised land, I am proud to say that once again, New Jersey is leading the way.
We value our freedoms, and we believe in the promise of opportunity.
And I want you to know.
that I will be fighting for you.
And I hope, New Jersey, you'll remember me when you open up your electric bill and it hasn't gone up by 20%.
I can promise you it won't be because I waste your money on a ballroom at Drum Thwacket.
I'm going to spend every minute trying to make New Jersey more affordable and open doors to opportunity across our state because that's our history here.
Opening doors to opportunity.
Patriots who manned Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad stops from Cape May to Jersey City.
Labor leaders like Peter McGuire who spurred the fight for fair wages and good working conditions.
Alice Paul who fought for equal rights including a woman's right to vote.
And Rabbi Joachim Prince who fled Nazi occupation, marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, and reminded us that the most urgent, the most disgraceful, the most shameful, and the most tragic problem is silence.
Not here.
not New Jersey.
These are some weary, weary years.
But I will be damned if in this state at this time we cry any silent tears.
We refuse to be silent as so many doors are shut on too many of our friends and neighbors.
Too many children and seniors who don't have enough to eat.
People who work too hard and still can't get ahead.
Communities living in fear.
Children who are afraid their parents will disappear in an ice raid while they are at school.
As we see Washington trying to shut the door on opportunity on your safety and security, on education, on health care, on access to good jobs, on innovation and investments in energy and infrastructure.
As we are seeing doors shut for families, for working people, for vulnerable communities, as they attempt to roll back the tide of progress, not here.
are made of stronger stuff here.
We are going to keep the doors open for your family.
The doors that were opened for my family that led to me being here today.
We're keeping the doors open and helping small business owners like Chuck, who owns a coffee shop and beer brewery in Clarksboro.
We're keeping the doors open for Nadia, who owns a small restaurant in West New York, and Bill, who runs a barber shop in Trenton.
We're keeping the doors open for Chris, a laborer in Jersey City who's trying to raise his kids and support his parents.
We're keeping the doors open for students like Adam and Glenridge so they don't face bullying as we take on the challenge of mental health and social media.
We're keeping the doors open for the Patel brothers and businesses in Oak Tree Lane, Oak Tree Road in Edison as we navigate a federal tariff regime harming so many store owners and keeping costs high.
We're keeping the doors open to millions of parents who want to keep their kids safe and ensure they have a bright future.
And much like Noah's Ark provided safety for the righteous, it is appropriate that today we are in Newark.
We are here today to create a new haven, a new arc, to open the door for those who thirst for liberty and prosperity.
For everyone who seeks to strengthen our democracy, strengthen our economy, and strengthen our families.
And the key, the key to all of this, is opportunity.
It's not a guarantee for success.
It's a guarantee at a shot.
And New Jerseyans know that.
That's why our state always punches above its weight.
Because we know exactly what we can do if we are given a shot.
We can lead scientific innovation, create art that moves millions, build small businesses to lift up entire communities and homes to pass on to our kids.
But for families to succeed, they need to be able to afford to live here, to thrive in New Jersey.
And in too many cases, the promises from politicians to open doors to opportunity have been empty.
Platitudes that don't address the key issues keeping families up at night.
But I promise, as your governor, if it's keeping you up at night, it's going to be keeping me up at night.
And as I have traveled across this state, speaking to thousands of New Jerseyans, your stories have stuck with me.
But even more often, I heard you talking about your concerns for others.
How are my neighbors going to feel safe?
How are my children going to succeed?
How are people who are struggling going to get access to food and health care?
And most inspiring, how can we help?
Your stories are why, again and again, I'm reminded of why I love New Jersey.
And I have heard, beneath the noise, beneath the politics, a simple truth.
Too many people are working too hard and still falling behind.
They worry about rent or mortgage payments that rise faster than paychecks.
They worry about the cost of child care that rivals college tuition.
They worry about utility and health care bills that feel unpredictable and overwhelming.
They worry about whether their children will be able to build a life in this state.
And these concerns are not abstract, they're not ideological.
They're an everyday reality for people in this state.
So let me tell you plainly what my administration stands for: lowering costs, taking care of your kids, making government accountable to the people.
And as we get to work charting out success, I have listened to you and I have heard you.
I've heard you in Trenton where you want safer streets for kids, redevelopment programs that work and to provide jobs, and for the state to pay its fair share.
I've heard you in South Jersey where you want jobs and transportation investments, innovative businesses, and not to be forgotten or left behind.
I've heard you in Hudson County where you want housing you can afford and to open small businesses without costly bureaucracy and red tape.
I've heard you, New Jersey.
We're facing an affordability crisis and you want costs to come down.
And you want that to begin today.
You don't want a strongly worded letter.
You don't want a 10-year study.
And you don't want empty words.
In short, you are sick of the status quo.
Well, guess what, guys?
So am I.
So, right now, yes, before I even begin this speech, finish this speech, sorry.
Just making sure you were paying attention.
I'm going to sign my first in a series of executive orders to declare a state of emergency on utility costs.
First, I'm issuing an executive order giving the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities the authority to pause new utility requests for additional rate increases.
And I will freeze rate hikes to finally provide families with real relief on their energy bills.
Second, I am issuing an executive order directing the Board of Public Utilities to open solicitations for new solar and storage power generation to modernize gas and nuclear generation so we can lower utility costs over the long term.
This is just the beginning, not of my speech, of my work.
unidentified
We're going to take on the affordability crisis and we're going to shake up the status quo.
And look, I know that there are people here, some of them behind me probably, who didn't vote for me.
And I know some of you are going to be in my office yelling at me one day about some disagreements.
And yet, as we sit here today, I'm ready to fight to ensure that you can do just that without fear of reprisal or worried that you'll be investigated or unfairly prosecuted.
I took an oath over 25 years ago to do just that and you saw me taking it again today.
And I am not a leader who will shirk in the course of my duties.
So I learned a lot of important lessons in the Navy.
I learned that often it's not the profound or the revolutionary that is needed to accomplish the mission.
Sometimes it's the basic brass tax of getting the job done, recognizing and doing your duty.
Under this administration, agencies will be judged by results, not rhetoric.
We will work to make government more transparent.
We will work to save you time and money.
You may not agree with every decision we make, but you'll know why we made it.
And you'll know that all of our decisions are made putting you, the public, first.
To my esteemed colleagues in the state legislature, my cabinet, and all the elected officials and civil servants across the state, we have all chosen this path of public service.
It's a noble calling and it's a privilege.
We have a shared responsibility and opportunity to make people's lives better.
We do so through competence, knowing that others are depending on us so they can open their businesses, feed their families, or ensure their children are safe, and attend great schools.
We have to have a strong moral compass to serve.
Self-dealing and opportunism are antithetical to our service.
And we have to serve with compassion.
Sometimes we work with people at really tough times in their lives, when they've suffered a tragedy, when a loved one is facing prison, or when they're scared for their children, or, as I can personally attest to, after they've had a really tough day and had to bring a colicky baby with them to get a driver's license.
It is in our power to make their lives easier, better.
And at the heart of it, we serve with commitment, a desire to better the world.
And at the dawn of our nation, as some of our very first public servants embarked upon their work to better New Jersey, the people of New Jersey chose a state motto.
They were among the first to do so.
On the heels of a horrible war, they narrowed in on those two things that they felt their countrymen had fought and died for: liberty and prosperity.
Today, I take up their work again, protecting liberty, ensuring that power is not placed in the hands of a few, but rather that the universal rights of all New Jersey are protected.
And prosperity through opening the door to opportunity.
And may God bless the great state of New Jersey and may God bless the United States of America.
This morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson delivered remarks to the United Kingdom's Parliament in London as our nation commemorates the 250th anniversary of American independence.
He was the first U.S. Speaker of the House to address Parliament.
Watch his remarks tonight at 9 Eastern on C-SPAN, C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, and online at c-span.org.
On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will consider whether to move forward with holding former President Bill Clinton and former First Lady Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena to testify before the committee.
This comes after the former president was seen in old photos released last month as part of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's alleged crimes.
We'll have live coverage at 10 a.m. Eastern on C-SPAN 3.
C-SPAN Now, our free mobile app, and online at c-span.org.
C-SPAN is as unbiased as you can get.
You are so fair.
I don't know how anybody can say otherwise.
You guys do the most important work for everyone in this country.
I love C-SPAN because I get to hear all the voices.
You bring these divergent viewpoints and you present both sides of an issue and you allow people to make up their own minds.
I absolutely love C-SPAN.
I love to hear both sides.
I've watched C-SPAN every morning and it is unbiased.
And you bring in factual information for the callers to understand where they are in their comments.
This is probably the only place that we can hear honest opinion of Americans across the country.
You guys at C-SPAN are doing such a wonderful job of allowing free exchange of ideas without a lot of interruptions.
Thank you, C-SPAN, for being a light in the dark.
Up next, the Prime Minister of Qatar sits down for a discussion on the state of the international community.
He answers questions on a variety of topics like protests in Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump's impact on global peace efforts, like the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas brokered by Qatar, and how the Middle East can prevent future military conflicts.
The World Economic Forum is the host of this event in Davos, Switzerland.