by Congress

“ The Representatives of the American people in this House are standing up for three fundamental American beliefs: The right to vote is sacred, that a Representative has a duty to represent his or her constituents, and that the rule of law is a hallmark of our Nation. ”

“ I promised my voters to be their voice. In this branch of government in which I now serve, it is my separate but equal obligation to weigh in on this election and object.
Are we not a government of, by, and for the people? ”

“ If we allow State election laws as set forth by the State legislatures to be ignored and manipulated on the whims of partisan lawsuits, unelected bureaucrats, unlawful procedures, and arbitrary rules, then our constitutional Republic will cease to exist. ”

“ Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to always search their conscience and their souls. I respect my Republican colleagues and my Democratic colleagues, but today, let us pause and remember what happened here today. Let us pause that our tenure in this Congress will far surpass the time that we stay here. ”

“ We must be mindful that any who seek to overturn an election will do injury to our Constitution, whatever the result. For just as the propagation of that dangerous myth about this election made this moment inevitable, our actions today will put another train in motion. This election will not be overturned. ”

“ Undermining faith in our election process by attempting to mislead the American public only serves to weaken us and make us vulnerable to foreign actors who do us harm. For the good of our country, this must stop. ”

“ This hallowed temple of democracy is where generations of Americans have peacefully come together to face our Nation’s greatest challenges, bridge our deepest fissures, and create a more perfect system of government. ”

“ Under some of the most trying circumstances in our history, our fellow citizens conducted a free and fair election, vindicating our Founders’ belief once again, that we were capable of self government and a peaceful transition of power. ”

“ Our beloved Constitution is but a mere piece of paper if we do not follow the law, upholding the law. But now, alas, we find ourselves lawless, destroying the very thread that binds us together. But we need to get back to the rule of law. ”

“ Looking back on the past few hours, it is clear this Congress will not be the same after today, and I hope it will be the better. I hope not just this institution, but I hope every American pauses for that moment and thinks among themselves that we can disagree with one another but not dislike each other; we can respect the voices of others. ”

“ Ladies and gentlemen of this House, we are so divisive that it is going to destroy our country. We need to reach out and hold one another’s hands.
We all have a title that we honor more than any other—perhaps parent, perhaps husband. But we are all Americans. ”

“ Madam Speaker, it is a sad day in America. It is a wrenching day in America. It is a day in which our words and our actions have had consequences of a very, very negative nature. We ought to watch our words and think what it may mean to some. ”

“ Mobs don’t rule America. Laws rule America. It was true when our cities were burning this summer, and it is true now.
When Americans go to bed tonight, their lasting memory should not be a Congress overrun by rioters. It must be a resolute Congress conducting healthy debate. ”

“ Nor can we console ourselves with the intoxicating fiction that we can break that oath without consequence because doing so will not succeed in overturning the election. An oath is no less broken when the breaking fails to achieve its end. ”

“ Now is the moment to show America we can work best together. I will tell you, the size of the majority is slim, so it gives us the opportunity to make that happen. The only thing that can hold us back is the will of one another to do it.
This side of the aisle always believes in working with anybody who wants to move it forward. ”

“ And one of the saddest days was January 20th of 2001 when our candidate, who won the election, in my view, was not elected. But it was also one of the proudest moments of my career because the greatest power on Earth passed peacefully from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush.
Not a shot was fired. Nobody assaulted this Caucus or this Congress or this Chamber. Because we were not disappointed? No. Because we were not angry? No. Because we believe in democracy. We believe in “We the people.”
One of the speakers, I think it was the Senator from Texas, expressed: We are here for the people. ”

“ In Wisconsin, election officials assisted voters on how to circumvent the State’s voter ID laws and signature verification laws, while also placing unmanned drop boxes in locations picked to boost Democrat turnout. The Democracy in the Park event in Wisconsin had over 17,000 ballots transferred that shouldn’t have been.
These are all facts and certainly not “evidence free”.
Americans deserve nothing less than full faith and confidence in their elections and a guarantee that their vote—their voice—counts and that their concerns are being heard. ”

“ Until a full, complete electoral forensic audit is allowed by the secretary of state, the electors currently certified will not be counted.
It will then fall on the State of Arizona to decide are its electors in the game or not. Anything less is an abdication of our constitutional Republic and our ethos: one man, one vote. ”

“ We are elected to be leaders. And if we are going to do that, we have to do it from respect to others, the idea that truth is important, that factual content is important, that we are going to tell the American people what is going on in this country and not what we hope they hear from a 30-second sound bite. ”

“ Because, as Dick Gephardt said on this floor many years ago, democracy is a substitute for war to resolve differences. It proved once more the ever-beating strong heart that gives life to our Republic and our freedoms. ”

“ But people do understand the concepts of basic fairness, and no competition, contest, or election can be deemed fair if the participants are subject to different rules.
Baseball teams that cheat and steal signs should be stripped of their championships. Russian Olympians who cheat and use steroids should be stripped of their medals. And States that do not run clean elections should be stripped of their electors. ”

“ We must stay focused on fighting the pandemic. We must work to ensure all Americans can be vaccinated as soon as possible so we can save American lives, safely reopen schools, get people back to work, and visit loved ones again. ”

“ So, we, the people—each one of us represents about 750,000 to 800,000 people, some a few less. The people, they have spoken in the way that our Constitution set for them to be heard by us and by the country—they voted, and they voted pretty decisively.
We, the people, together, must turn away from division and its dangers. ”

“ And I don’t know if the reports are true, but The Washington Times has just reported some pretty compelling evidence from a facial recognition company showing that some of the people who breached the Capitol today were not Trump supporters. They were masquerading as Trump supporters, and, in fact, were members of the violent terrorist group antifa.
Now, we should seek to build America up, not tear her down and destroy her. ”

“ My North Country constituents and the American people cherish the Constitution. They know, according to the Constitution, elected officials closest to the people in State legislatures have the power of the pen to write election law, not unelected bureaucrats, judges, Governors, or secretaries of state. ”

“ 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. ”

“ An injunction was made by an Obama-appointed judge preventing the Arizona secretary of state from enforcing the constitutional deadline set by the State legislature.
As a result of this frivolous, partisan lawsuit, 10 extra days were added via judicial fiat to allow voter registration. These 10 days were added after voting had already begun. This is completely indefensible. You cannot change the rules of an election while it is underway and expect the American people to trust it. ”

“ 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. ”

“ To my colleagues across the aisle, I know we may disagree on who we want as President, but what we personally want is not what matters here. Rather, the people’s influence, as reflected in the certified electoral college results, is what matters. Facts matter. ”

“ It was a chaos strategy, a plan to flood State and Federal courts with hundreds of simultaneous election year lawsuits aimed at displacing State legislative control.
Now, as I have seen it, only the most experienced and independent judges appear to have recognized what was afoot. In the fourth circuit, dissenting judges Wilkinson and Agee said this: “Let’s understand the strategy that is being deployed here ... Our country is now plagued with a proliferation of preelection litigation.” ”

“ Both Republicans and Democrats have long been proud of how our State has administered elections.
In 2020, over 65 percent of eligible Arizonans voted, a record number. Our Republican Governor, Republican attorney general, Democratic secretary of state, and our State’s election administrators and volunteers worked with integrity to administer a fair election. ”

“ News would suggest there are millions of Americans—that is a big number—millions, tens of millions, who believe something went awry in this election. And they aren’t dumb. They aren’t mindless. They don’t believe things simply because the President says them. ”

“ 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. ”

“ By returning here to complete the work we were sent to do, we are proving that our democracy cannot be disrupted by criminal behavior. We will not falter; we will not bend; and we will not shrink from our duty. ”

“ There are many times we debate in this body, and we should. There are many times we can get heated. I still consider Steny Hoyer a very good friend. There are times I get upset, and I will call him at home to express the things I may not see fair or just, but that is the way we should handle things. ”

“ There is too much evidence of fraud, demonstrated by statistical anomalies that experts have determined cannot happen in the absence of fraud, to accept such a slate. I am not asking these electors never be counted; it is just that they need to be certified the proper way. ”

“ And in contrast to the gentleman’s comments just now, I couldn’t get over this text that I received from the mayor of Charlotte, Vi Lyles, about 30 minutes ago. She is a progressive Democrat, a political opponent for years, a tremendous and graceful person. ”

“ Signature authentication rules for absentee and mail-in ballots were weakened by the Democrat secretary of the Commonwealth without authorization. Ballot defects were allowed to be cured in some counties but not others. There were poll watchers denied the ability to closely observe ballot counting operations. ”

“ The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes.
Williams Speech
Madam Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Cawthorn) .
Cawthorn Speech
Mr. Cartwright. Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition. ”

“ Jake LaTurner KS–2, David Rouzer NC–7, Jason Smith MO–8, Lauren Boebert CO–3, Paul A. Gosar AZ–4, Chuck Fleischmann TN–3, Tim Burchett TN–2, Chris Jacobs NY–27, Bill Johnson OH–6, Andrew S. Clyde GA–9, Lance Gooden TX–5, Randy Feenstra IA–4, Mary E. Miller IL–15, Diana Harshbarger TN–1, Mark E. Green TN–7, Ron Estes KS–4, Neal Dunn FL–2, Ronny Jackson TX–13, Elise Stefanik NY–21, Ralph Norman SC–5. ”