>> of theoretical estimate raise your right hand placed you solemnly swear you will support and defend the constitution of the united states against all enemies foreign and domestic. that you will bear true faith and allegiance to the same. you take the obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which you are about to enter, so help you god? >> i do. [cheering] [applause] >> president pro tem.

>> now senate majority leader john thune senate minority leader chuck schumer offered their first remarks on the senate floor for the opening day of the 119 congress. >> mr. president, before i begin remarked 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 ice is inspired attack took the lives of 14 innocent victims and injured at least 30 others. my prayers today along with prayers of so many americans are with all this grieving the loss of loved one and the injured and their families. 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 trump hotel on

the same day injuring seven others. we expect e our federal, state d local law enforcement to pursue every lead so that the american people understand what led to both of these attacks. mr. president i want to mention thesi passing of former presidet jimmy carter who died peacefully on december 29 at his home in georgia at the age of 100. he was governor of georgia, president of the united states but was perhaps better known for the work 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 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 see what her 19

congress. project of this freshman senator took the oath of office this morning. congratulations to the secretary of the senate a great south dakota and knutson sargent and arms are assuming the roles today. i am grateful for their service. mr. president the words of the oath which we here at the start of each new congress are a reminder of profoundpr responsibility to which we have entrusted that is to support and defend the constitution of the united states. 237 years ago represented smith together in philadelphia, pennsylvania produce something essentially unique in human history a blueprint for our new country founded not on history or conquest but on a set of ideals that a perfect document as our founders attested by making provisions for amendments. was and remains one of the greatest most important political document in the history of thehe world it's made

us a country look to as a beacon of freedom the shining city on the hill it's a solemn responsibility those of us here in congress to preserve our constitution to guard against enemies foreign and domestic to our nation continues to stand in human rates. when it came time to draft the constitution established safeguards checks and balances one of those safeguards was united states senate the discussion and federal 62 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. that doubles the security to the

people. by requiring the concurrence of two distinct bodies and schemes as the improbability of sinister combinations will be in proportion to the dissimilarity and the genius of the two bodies it must be o politic to distinguish them from each other. by every circumstance will consist of the due harmony and all proper measures and with the genuine principles of republican government." founders did indeed distinguish made the senate smaller with the intention of creating a more stable more thoughtful more deliberative legislative body to check or tempered legislation and protect us last year's test it is a structure that has served well. unfortunately today there are a

lot of people out there would like to see the senate turned into a copy of the house of representatives. and that mr. president is not what they intended. in the senate will make sure the senate saves the senate for that means preserving the legislative filibuster the senate rule today is perhaps the greatest impact on preserving the founder's 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 caging extended debate on the senate floor were 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. more security comics in the tax reliefed delivered to the first trump administration burdensome trump administration burdensome

extensive regulations help american businesses and families flourished. providing for a nation's defense increasingly unstable world. bring appropriation bills to the floor for serious deliberation so that we make the best possiblehe use of taxpayer dollars. overdo farmville to update farm programs are farmers and ranchers to reflect current agricultural needs. mr. president, the list goes on. mr. president, past years i listen to speeches welcome members and discussing the agenda for the coming months. i now find myself in the position of delivering that speech. republican collective trust me too lead a part in the senate in the next congress. i will work every day to be worthy of that trust by the philosophy of leadership comes my daddy was a basketball coach at her high school at strong opinions about the right way to play sports amazon about personal glory. it was about elevating the team

he hated fault talk to someone else in a better position to take this you always made the extrau pass you did not try to pad your own statistics is an attitude which i tried to carry with me throughout my life. it's an attitude i carry to the office. my job is to be of service to my colleagues into our country mr. president here to address in 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. of the trust they have given it would not have an opportunity to serve at all much less have the opportunity to service the majority leader of the united states senate. my first priority here in congress is always, always to serve the people of my state. the town of myrtle population roughly around 500 people we did

not even have a traffic light when i was growing up there i would not have had any other way. life and myrtle had a beautiful simplicity. one or two drawbacks the population thatdr small we can e sure our h parents would've head all about any of our misdemeanors before we even made it home. small-town life is wonderful. and myrtle you know everyone. andwo everyone knows you that gives a sense of community and belonging that we carry to this day. i remove the dad told my mom i was going to run for congress. she was excited, obviously confidently told me i know you will carry myrtle. in myrtle i learned the character of south dakota and some. the work ethic, the commitment to freedom coupled with the belief and personal responsibility the sense of responsibility to the broader

community. current up we knew of a roof collapse or the weight of snow or when storm came through and wiped out a barn we lost a friend or family member, the whole community would rally to help. that same attitude is reflected in towns across our state. south dakota values i learned growing up help shape my political philosophy. i believe government should be limited and it is best when it's closest to the people. at ther matter can be handled at the state or local level, it should be. the legacy of the past will be cherished and preserved while leaving room for change and adaptation. freedom is a sacred gift. one that must be defended. and that with freedom comes responsibility. and finally, it will government is necessary government is where we should look forho salvation. mr. president, no one gets where

we are alone. i owe thanks to many people to my parents to pat and harold who gave us kids undying love and commitment a strong set of values the most precious gift of all,if faith. my brothers and sister, to my beloved wife kimberly who is here with me today. andim let me say, mr. presidenti married up. i'm grateful every day for her love and wisdom. for heard advice and support and her endless patience. assign an easy thing to be married to a member of congress but is not easy thing to have a member of congress for a dad either prime grateful not only for my wife's enduring support but the support of my daughters brittney and larissa. they are here today in the senate as well with her husband luke and scott and with all of our rental jon mark, lucy, emily, hated, and one yet to be named, little one on theve way o have brought me and kimberly an immense amount of joy.

mr. president, not one of us here in congress could last a day without our staff. have spent longnt days and long nights in my office serving southan dakotans and the americn people. and finally mr. president, i thank god he was richly blessed me in every way. through him and for him all things be the glory forever, amen. mr. president, yield the floor. [applause] >> mr. president pickwick senate democratic leader. >> first, let me concur in the remarks my colleague made about the tragedy in newe orleans.

and on the west coast. and in las vegas and we regret that. i also want to say a word about jimmy carter. last week america mourned the loss of one's most decent and humble public servants we have everf seen, president jimmy carter. president carter was a living embodiment to leadership the service, compassion and thirst for justice for all. i will have more to say about our president in the coming days it will all have more to say about the loss of this wonderful and inspiring american. it's rare to some of these the presidency only to continue building his legacy to even higher levels as president carter did. but that is a testament to how rare and special a person he was. from m irving human rights to his tireless efforts alongside his wife roslyn with habitat for humanity. he inspires in millions with his unwavering commitment to justice and equality. here we pray for his family, we pray for his loved ones but his

memory be a blessing and endure it reminder of what it means to truly serve. first welcome to all my colleagues of the 119th congress. hope everyone had a blessed start to the near full of famiy and loved ones. iky was lucky enough to have jut that. today the senate begins a new chapter in his distinguished history. we begin our work at a moment of crossroads for our country. with the american democracy, americans economy, and for the future leadership of america on the world stage. these challenges we face as a nation and so must be our resolve. let me first begin by acknowledging my friend and colleague the former republican leader senator mcconnell who as long as i've served as democraticad leader he has sat opposite me across the aisle.

as he transitions away from leadership, it was nice seeing them in the seat over there where he doesn't have to get up all the time. i like to thank him for those important occasions that we work together despite our many fierce disagreements. let me also can graduate 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 a leader a moment ago. so i hope he does not mind if i offer some unsolicited advice. the majority leader sets the tone. that tone determines to a large extent how successful we would be moving forward. all the bills are passed in 21 and 2022, most of them originated in the senate because both parties find ways to reach

across the aisle. i want to work with the new der republican we also congratulate all our returning colleagues who have taken their oath of office. it's a great honor to serve in this chamber with you. the s 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 will go by faster than you think . on the democratic side it brings me great joy and excitement to welcome our six new colleagues to the

democratic caucus . i 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 t new members to our caucus it is an exciting day but i am particularly excited to get to work with this uniquely talented new class . i suspect we 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 like to welcome senator ruben gallego from the great state of arizona. senator gallego arrives as a legislator literally and figuratively . he served as a member of the

marine corps serving the people of arizona as a longtime member of the house. now that he has taken the oath of office the people of arizona have a hispanic senator representing them for the first time ever.from delaware lisa rochester. many of us know her well because like many of our new colleagues she was a longtime member of the house. five of our new members or house members so we have lots of great experience and where she climbed up the ranks to become assistant with while serving on influential community on energy and ep commerce. like other history making meant members senator rochester is the first woman in the first person of color ever to represent delaware . let me welcome our new colleague from maryland

angela brooks born and raised in prince georges county she was the youngest person in t the first woman ever elected as the top law enforcement officer of the county she grew up in shows show she has t immense experience 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 maryland . from michigan we are excited to welcome member alyssa slotkin, 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 the department of defense under pres. obama and finally i'd like to acknowledge two more colleagues that have taken m. their oath's that deserve special recognition on this special day. senator adam schiff from california, andy kim from new jersey . a longtime member of the house senator schiff is a well-known member of admired for his thoughtful status, eloquence and love of democracy and finally last

but not least our newest colleague from new jersey senator andy kim. he boasts an impressive record as longtime leader in the house, top national security expert and is the first korean-american from any state to serve in the senate. so to our new colleagues we to work with you and are happy to help you and as you find your bearings we urge you to never lose sight of the greatresponsibility you carry as a member of this body . 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 rolling the trust the people placed in us . very soon a new administration will be sworn in alongside the new majorities but for the first

time in a illong 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 hundred 19th 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 ofwho we are fighting for . the american people . we are here ready to fight for the american people . 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 east coast industrial midwest and everywhere in between and we sometimes disagree . just as any type family disagrees . but democrats are united,

fiercely united when it comes to fighting for working americans and working families. in the months and days 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 becausewe need to make housing more affordable for the millions struggling to keep a roof over their heads . we need to make sure americans earnhigher paychecks , keep more of their paychecks to e. democrats are here because we want to lower the cost of childcare, and outrageously high expense for too many american families. who struggled to give the best lives for themselves and , their children. democrats are here to defend a woman'sright 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 l, 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 are ripped off fine by giant corporations through predatory behavior . democrats stand ready to make lives better. for the american people . we want to work with anyone and hold the line whenevernecessary to achieve that goal . mr. pres. the time to get to work is now. it's a new day. a new congress, and the democrats stand united and ready to fight and deliver to the american people. i you'll the floor and note the absence of a quorum >> clerk will call the roll . >> it's democracy unfiltered

with c-span, experience history as it unfolds with live coverage this month . as a republican state control of both chambers and a new chapter begins with the swearing in of the 47th president of the united states on monday lie from the house chamber witnessed vp harris to preside over the certification of the electoral college vote for this historic session will confirm donald as the winner of the 2044 presidential election on january 20 on january 22 again for our life all the coverage of the presidential inauguration as all to take 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 presidential inauguration . c-span: democracy unfiltered. >>. >>