Congressional Record/Volume 167/Issue 4/House/Counting Electoral Votes/Arizona Objection Debate/Speech on the Insurrection
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. For that reason, Congress has returned to the Capitol.
We always knew that this responsibility would take us into the night, and we will stay as long as it takes. Our purpose will be accomplished. We must, and we will, show to the country, and indeed to the world, that we will not be diverted from our duty, that we will respect our responsibility to the Constitution and to the American people.
On Sunday, it was my great honor to be sworn in as Speaker and to preside over a sacred ritual of renewal as we gathered under the stone of the temple of democracy to open the 117th Congress. I said, as we were sworn in then, we accept a responsibility as daunting and demanding as any previous generation of leadership has ever faced.
We know that we are in difficult times, but little could we have imagined the assault that was made on our democracy today.
To those who stoked deterrence from our responsibility, you have failed. To those who engaged in the gleeful desecration of this, our temple of democracy, American democracy, justice will be done.
Today, January 6, is the Feast of the Epiphany. On this day of revelation, let us pray that this instigation to violence will provide an epiphany for our country to heal.
In that spirit of healing, I invoke the song of Saint Francis. I usually do. Saint Francis is the patron saint of my city of San Francisco, and the “Song of Saint Francis” is our anthem.
Lord, make me a channel of thy peace.
Where there is darkness, may I bring light.
Where there is hatred, let us bring love.
Where there is despair, let us bring hope.
We know that we would be part of history in a positive way today, every 4 years when we demonstrate again 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 shows the world what America is made of, that this assault, this assault is just that. It shows the weakness of those who have had to show through violence what their message was.
My colleagues, it is time to move on. I wear this pin quite frequently. Actually, I gave it to our beloved John Lewis just the weekend or so before he left us. It is the flag of our country, a flag of the United States of America. On it, it says, “One country, one destiny.”
“One country, one destiny” is written on the flag. That was also what was embroidered in Abraham Lincoln’s coat that he had on that fateful night—Lincoln’s party, Lincoln’s message: One country, one destiny.
So on this holy day of Epiphany, let us pray. I am a big believer in prayer. Let us pray that 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 just, within 72 hours, taken the oath to uphold.