having some activities from every part of our district, a district bigger than the state of pennsylvania. you can imagine when folks make the trek from new mexico, lots of historic event. we want to welcome them with open arms so that will be a large focus of what we are doing today. host: are you going to be at the inauguration on monday? guest: these ceremonies are really important and we will see what the cards have in store for us. host: congressmanhost: susan in. when we go back up to capitol hill to the rotunda, it is congressman jim baird joining us, republican who represents indiana's fourth congressional district. also a member of the foreign relations committee. good morning to you. on foreign relations, we start on that cease-fire deal that was announced yesterday.

>> we're going to leave this, you can find "washington journal" on our c-span now app as we go to joint base myer where we hear from defense secretary lloyd austin and joint chiefs general brown. live here on c-span.

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♪ ♪ ♪

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>> attention!

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>> honor, guard! attention!

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>> attention! >> ladies and gentlemen, taking her seat is the first lady of the united states, dr. jill biden. >> also taking his seat is mr. doug emhoff, second gentleman. now taking her seat is mrs. charlene austin.

>> and taking her seat is mrs. cherine brown.

>> attention! >> distinguished guests, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing as honors are rendered and for the invocation given by chaplain colonel james d. key. taking their positions on the reviewing stand are the hosts for today's ceremony, the honorable lloyd j. austin iii, the 28th secretary of defense, accompanied by the 21st chairman of the joint chiefs of staff,

general charles q. brown jr. distinguished guests, the vice president of the united states, kamala harris. >> march! ♪ >> distinguished guests, the president of the united states.

♪ [gun salute]

[gun salute] >> forward, march!

>> distinguished guests, chaplain key. chaplain key: let's pause and bow our heads and close our eyes for a word of prayer. morning by morning the mercies i see, all i have needed, thy hand has provided. great is thy faithfulness. lord on to me. we pause now and ask that you bless today's farewell tribute to president joseph biden. his 50 years of dedicated public service work is an example of what it means to be the keeper of the flame. his unshakable commitment and loyalty to our great nation has not gone unnoticed. his selfless service has allowed him to work faithfully during moments of joy and challenge. over the years he's adapted to many changes and sacrificed

personal time when duty called. so dear god, on this day, please keep president biden and his family under your influence. if you will, dispatch an angel from heaven to protect the family from hurt, harm, and danger. and during moments of uncertainty or stormy weather, remind them that you surely can and you surely will. remind them that where you lead, you provide. finally, dear god, compel all of us here today to be thankful for what has been and grateful for what is yet to be. for it is in your mighty and liberating and holy name we pray, and we all say together on this great day amen. and amen.

>> please be seated. >> honor guard, attention!

♪ >> the services representing america's armed forces and participating in today's review from left to right are the old guard fife and drum corps, the united states army band, the presidential marching platoon from the army's third united states infantry regiment the old guard, the united states marine honor guard from marine barracks, washington. the colors have always been one of the most important elements of a military unit. at the center of our formation is an armed forces color guard bearing the national colors and the service flags of the army, marine corps, navy, air force, space force, and coast guard.

following is an element from the united states navy guard from washington, d.c. the next is comprised of a flight of the united states air force honor guard from the joint base. and last is a element of the united states coast guard honor guard from coast guard station alexandria. ♪

>> troops in review. ♪

♪ >> distinguished guests, please

stand for the advancing of the colors and remain standing for the playing of the national anthem. >> colors, forward, march! ♪

>> present arms! [the national anthem plays]

>> please be seated.

>> ceremonial. >> at ease.

>> the distinguished public service medal is being awarded to joseph r. biden jr. president joseph r. biden jr. is recognized for distinguished public service as the 46th president of the united states from january 2021 to january 2025. in the face of unparalleled national security challenges, american global leadership under president biden left both the united states and the department of defense far stronger and far better postured for the challenges of the 21st century. his leadership ensured a strategic focus on competing with the people's republic of

china, achieved through consistent investment and historied progress with allies and partners in the region. notably, president biden's leadership developed the landmark australia, united kingdom, and united states trilateral security partnership, a generational opportunity to enhance deterrence and ensure a free and openedo pacific region. his leadership galvanized the north atlantic treaty organization and helped marshall support for ukraine's defense for russia's unprovoked invasion, including tens of billions in critical security assistance. president biden's leadership also ensured america's ironclad support for israel's self-defense following the horrific attacks of october 7, 2023. he showed a profound and personal commitment to the department of defense and a deep respect and concern for our troops and their families, which resulted in an enabled critical

efforts to take care of america's military community. as commander in chief, president biden believed in and invested in the united states military, securing historic funding for the department of defense to ensure the united states will have the capabilities that it needs to defend itself and lead far into the future. his extraordinary leadership left america safer and will ensure the united states military remains the strongest fighting force on earth. the distinctive accomplishments of president biden reflect great credit upon himself, the department of defense, and the united states of america.

[applause] >> the distinguished public service medal is being awarded to dr. jill biden. dr. jill biden is recognized for

distinguished public service in support of members of the united states armed forces from january 2021 to january 2025. as the first lady of the united states of america, dr. biden brought a lifetime of personal experience, determination, and selfless service to institutionalize a range of key programs and policies benefiting service members, veterans, families, caregivers, and survivors. building upon her previous work as second lady, she launched the second phase of joining forces in 2021, a white house initiative to support military and veteran families, caregivers, and survivors. through joining forces, dr. biden led policy efforts focused on supporting military family employment and entrepreneurship, military child education, and military family health and well-being. this was accomplished through

enter agency collaboration, working directly with service members, veterans, and family members and linking arms with the nonprofit community. she strengthened the economic security of our military families to include enabling military spouses or federal working employees teleworking overseas access to safer and more security working and living environment. with personal expertise and passion, dr. biden supported the academic achievement of military children by enhancing awareness of the unique needs of military children, specifically military children with disabilities and their families. she also called urgent attention to critical quality of life issues and worked with nongovernmental organizations to ensure that all service members, veterans and their families have the tools they needed to succeed. through joining forces dr. biden inspired, educated and sparked

action from all sectors of society to ensure service members, veterans, and their families have the support they have earned and deserved. the distinctive accomplishments of dr. biden reflect great credit upon herself, the department of defense and the united states of america. [applause]

>> attention. honor guard! >> attention! >> distinguished guests, please stand for the posting of the colors. >> post colors. step right. face. ♪

>> forward march! >> please be seated.

>> ceremonial. >> ceremonial. >> at ease. ♪ >> ♪ mine eyes have seen the glory ♪ ♪ of the coming of the lord ♪ ♪ he is trampling out.

the vintage of where the wraps of wrath are stored ♪ ♪ he is truly marching on ♪ ♪ glory ♪ ♪ glory ♪ ♪ hallelujah ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪

>> ♪ i've seen him in the watch towers ♪ ♪ i can read a righteous sentence ♪ ♪ by the dim and flaring lamps ♪ ♪ his day is marching on ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪

♪ >> ♪ in the beauty of the lilies ♪ ♪ christ was born across the sea ♪ ♪ with a glory in his bosom ♪

♪ that transfigures you and me ♪ ♪ as he died to make manholey ♪ let us die to make them free ♪ while god is marching on ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪

♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪♪ ♪ on and on ♪♪ ♪

>> by the storm clouds gathered ♪ far across the sea ♪ ♪ let us swear allegiance ♪ ♪ to a land that's free ♪ ♪ let us all be grateful ♪ ♪ for a land so fair ♪ ♪ as we raise our voices ♪ ♪ in a solemn prayer ♪ ♪ god bless america ♪ ♪ land that i love ♪

♪ stand beside her and guide her ♪ ♪ through the night with a light from above ♪ ♪ from the mountains ♪ ♪ to the prairies ♪ ♪ to the oceans white with foam ♪ ♪ god bless america ♪ ♪ my home sweet home ♪ >> now will all you proud americans join us in singing a rousing chorus of this patriotic song? >> ♪ god bless america ♪ ♪ land that i love ♪ ♪ stand beside her ♪ ♪ and guide her ♪ ♪ through the night with a light from above ♪ ♪ from the mountains ♪

♪ to the prairies ♪ ♪ to the oceans white with foam ♪ ♪ god bless america ♪ ♪ my home sweet home ♪ ♪ god bless america ♪ ♪ my home sweet home ♪♪ >> attention! >> honor guard! >> attention!

♪ ceremonial ♪ >> ceremonial. >> at ease. >> ceremonial. >> at ease. >> distinguished guests, general brown. general brown: good afternoon. that's a very, very hard act to follow. today we honor and say farewell to our commander in chief. a man who has dedicated his life in service of our nation. a man who for over 50 years has fought for those who serve in uniform, fought to prepare our

military for the challenges they face defending our nation. >> those deployed back at home. he fought as a senator from delaware to ensure our service members, veterans, and families were taken care of. he fought as vice president for stronger veterans' affairs programs and more support for service members transitioning back to civilian life. and as our president, he continued to fight and lead our nation through an uncertain and dynamic geostrategic environment while strengthening our force to protect our future. mr. president, dr. biden, madam vice president, mr. emhoff, government elected officials, civic leaders, department of defense leadership, general and flag officers, senior enlisted leaders, and distinguished

guests, welcome, and thank you for being here. president biden's work with congress on bipartisan legislation has set our military on a course to confront the threats of tomorrow, to ensure our war fighters are ready when the nation calls. he supported significant investments in shipbuilding to modernize and expand our naval fleet. we're on track to increase the number of our fighters and bombers, expand our space domain capabilities. we are now on a trajectory to increase long-range fires, implement next generation combat vehicles, and improve air and missile defense. and generational modernization of the u.s. triad is underway, bolstering our deterrence capabilities. and we're on a pathway that's been set to streamline adopting

emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and implementing systems into our fighting force. simultaneously, president biden has worked tirelessly to care for our men and women in uniform and their families. improving the quality of military housing, providing historic pay raises and implementing new programs to expand benefits to all service members. i'd also like to recognize the incredible work of dr. jill biden. she has done -- what she's done with joining the forces, caregivers, and their families. as our commander in chief, president biden has fought for our military time and time again. today's ceremony is a small, small token of our appreciation. so thank you, mr. president, for all you've done for this nation and its military.

your unwavering commitment to the strengthening of our force and the welfare of our service members, veterans, and families is a testament to the deep responsibility you've carried throughout your service. on a personal note, i want to thank you for the trust and confidence you placed in me as the 21st chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. it's truly an honor to serve our nation and to have this opportunity to lead the joint force. mr. president, your lifetime of service and unwavering commitment to those that answer our nation's call and your leadership as our commander in chief has profoundly shaped our nation. to paraphrase ii timothy 4:7, you've fought the good fight, you've finished the race and you've kept the faith. on behalf of our 2.1 million men

and women in uniform, our military families, and our veterans, thank you, mr. president, for keeping the faith, and those past and present who defend our great nation. simply said, thanks for your leadership. may god bless you and your family. may god bless our service members and their families. and may god continue to bless the united states of america. thank you. >> ceremonial. >> ceremonial. >> at ease!

>> at ease! >> distinguished guests, secretary austin. secretary austin: good be afternoon, everybody, mr. president, dr. biden, madam vice president, mr. emhoff, department of defense leadership, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. welcome to the armed forces farewell tribute in honor of our 46th president. for more than five decades, president joe biden has thrown

himself into public service and over the past four years, he's secured his place in history as one of our great foreign policy presidents. as secretary of defense, i have seen this and i've seen his leadership up close. he took the oath of office as america faced a moment of great challenge, the covid pandemic was raging and our allies and partners feared that america had lost its way. president biden helped america and the world recover from the pandemic. and he renewed american leadership around the planet. president biden dramatically strengthened our unmatched global network of allies and

partners. he rallied the free world to help ukraine fight for its freedom after putin's indefensible invasion. he positioned america to succeed in strategic competition with the people's republic of china. he orchestrated a new convergence in the indo-pacific around a shared vision of security, openness, and prosperity. he reinforced nato, which is now larger, stronger, and more united than ever. he shored up israel's security after the vial october 7 terrorist assault by hamas. he helped defend israel from outrageous direct attacks by

iran. and he's prevented the middle east from erupting into an all out regional war. and he just secured a cease-fire that will stop the fighting in gaza, serve more humanitarian aid to suffering palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families. in afghanistan, he ended america's longest war, one that spanned four presidents. and he refused to hand it over. . the clerk: the honorable the speaker, house of representatives, sir, pursuant to the permission granted in clause 2-h of rule 2 of the u.s.

house of representatives, the clerk received the following message from the secretary of the senate on january 16, 2025 at 2:30 p.m., appointments. commission on security and cooperation in europe, the helskinki commission. signed sincerely, kevin f. mccumber. the speaker pro tempore: the chair announcees appoint. and the order of the house of january 3, 2025 of the following members of the house to the permanent select committee on intelligence. the clerk: mr. crawford, chair. mr. kelly of mississippi, mr. lahood, mr. fitzpatrick, mr. austin scott of georgia, mr. hill of arkansas, mr. crenshaw, mr. jackson of texas, mr. perry, mrs. wagner, mr. kline, mr. steube,

ms. tenney and mr. fallon. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? mr. newhouse: i move the house do now adjourn. the speaker pro tempore: the question is on the motion to adjourn. those in favor, say aye. those opposed, no. in the opinion of the chairs the ayes have it and the house stands adjourned

and you can see it in their fierce love for our troops. i've seen it over and over again. i've been there, mr. president, when you've reached out to grieving families. i've seen you focus your entire being on a service member, a military spouse, or a military child. and by the way, nobody is going to stop joe biden from wading into a crowd of troops.

he loves to grab service member's cell phone and call a stunned loved one, and of course everyone gets a self-ie. mr. president, that's just who you are. you pushed hard to make life easier for our troops and their families. base by for our troops is up almost 10% since you were sworn in. we're expanding access to affordable child care. and we're doing farmer to help military spouses excel in their own careers. president biden has also worked hard with congress to invest in america's future. the department's budget last year was $100 billion more than in his first year. and that will help keep our united states military the

strongest fighting force on earth. now president biden always ends his speeches the same way. with the same five words. he always says, may god protect our troops, and he means every word, every time. mr. president, it has been an honor to serve you. and i hope that future presidents and secretaries of defense will enjoy similar relationships of trust, candor, and friendship. our entire department stands together today. we salute your service to the republic that we defend. and we are deeply, deeply grateful for your love of our

troops. thank you, mr. president and dr. may god bless you and your family and may god continue to bless the united states of america. [applause] ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce, one last time, the president of the united states, joe biden. [applause]

pres. biden: thank you. thank you. every time i'm here, it's made me so damn proud to be here. 1% of you defending 99% of us. we owe you, we owe you big. just over 240 years ago, george washington gave his farewell address to the continental army. still astonished by their victory and by the unity, washington asked, and i quote, who that was not a witness could imagine the men who came from different parts of the continent, instantly become one

band of brothers. that's what you are, one patriotic band of brothers. vice president harris, jill, doug, secretary austin, secretary brown, two of the best decisions i ever made in my career, i might avmed service secretaries. members of congress and most importantly this patriotic band of service members before me. serving as your commander in chief has been the greatest honor of my life. while i'm deeply grateful for your thanks and affection, i'm here to thank you, thank you for your service to our nation. for allowing me to bear witness to your courage, your commitment, your character. as i listen to the choir sing

and thought about, we all represent america's character. honesty. integrity. commitment. like washington, it left me astonished. and i mean it. over the years, i have frequently seen you in action in war zones, in bosnia, bag bad, fallujah, kabul, kandahar and other places. i remember one trip to afghanistan as vice president, i was at a forward operating base in eastern afghanistan. i was asked by a commanding officer to pin a bronze star on a soldier for his heroism. the soldier's teammate was hit while driving in a humvee. this soldier did everything possible to rescue his colleague from the burning flames. when i went to pin the medal on him, the soldier looked at me and said, i don't want it.

i don't want it. he died. i don't want it. and that moment, all i could think about the courage and incredible courage and hue mill tai ty and moral compass this soldier had. that all of you have. this is not hyperbole. you are simply the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. history of the world. that's a fact. that's a fact. [applause] and there's never been a time in history when we've asked our military to do so many different things, so many different places, all at the same time. i want to be clear, you've done all, all these missions with strength, and maybe even importantly with integrity. i asked you to end our nation's

longest war, you rose to the occasion. evacuated americans, allies an afghan partner, accomplishing the largest airlift in military history and ending a war with the same courage that defined american service in afghanistan over 20 years. i believe history will reflect it was the right thing to do, but i know it was hard. after decades of losing your brothers and sisters, including the withdrawal, the pain was still real. it was for me as well. every day i still carry, every single day, this is my schedule. on the back of the schedule every single day, at the top, since i've been here, it says u.s. daily u.s. troops in afghanistan. u.s. troops who died in afghanistan. 2,000. -- 2,465. not over 2,000.

2,465. troops wounded. 20,769. and every day we honor their sacrifice, continuing the mission for which they gave their lives. fighting terrorism. defending our homeland. protecting the american people. six months after that war ended, russia began its largest war in europe since world war ii. i asked you to help defend ukraine. you didn't hesitate. kept ukraine in the fight. trained ukrainian soldiers and pilots, troops, bolstered them, and showed the world, america stands up for freedom. stands with our friends. america stands strong with our

allies. we never bend down. we bend down to no one. certainly not putin. now, three years later, putin has failed to take kyiv, failed to make large territorial gains, and failed to break -- as a matter of fact, when i spoke on the phone, he said he wanted us to be the finland of europe. i pointed out you not only get the finland of europe you'll get the finland-ization. you'll see europe joining nato. finland joining nato. sweden joining nato. and america's watch -- on america's watch, dictators do not get to do whatever the hell they want.

following hamas' triple-october, i asked you, excuse my -- my mother would be upset. i asked you to deploy to the middle east. again, you stepped up. pulling long nights and long deployments. to weaken hamas. defend israel against unprecedented attacks from iran. imagine had we not. if we don't lead the world, who will lead the world? who? twice we stood up to attacks by the houthis in the red sea. last year, i spoke to the women and men aboard the destroyer that took down the first houthi attacks. it was the u.s.s. karney. i want to tell you all what i

told them then. we yes you. we owe you. back in may, awe announced the ceasefire deal. the road to that deal was not easy. eight months ago i laid down the elements of that deal in may. embraced by countries around the world. because they know we say what we mean. endorsed overwhelmingly by the u.n. security council. it's taken eight months, nonstop, relentless effort by my administration to get it done. but because of you, all of you standing behind me, because of you, so many diplomats and defense professionals, who kept the pressure on hamas. got it done. got it done. finally, i'll ask you to strengthen america in the pacific. in the middle of all the other conflicts and crisis, you said no problem. you kept china in check.

remember when we take oath of office, china was going to overcome the united states. economically and politically. by 2030. the skies opened, the seas free, and our allies close. you established our first trilateral defense partnership with australia and the united kingdom. our first trilateral partnership that some said couldn't get done in japan and the philippines. our first trilateral partners between japan and south korea. remember that? they said we couldn't do it. we did it. that's what america does. people know america is acting out of character.

our nation is so much to so many other, our nation has asked so much of so many others as well. doctors and nurses. helping service members to learn to walk again. eat again. speak again. national guard members. who dropped everything to help their fellow americans during the fires and hurricanes. marines guarding embassies around the world. the scientists making sure we have an edge over adversaries. interpreters. who make our missions possible. perhaps most importantly, your families. they sacrificed so much and i might add, the doctors and nurses. excuse a point of personal privilege, as we said in the senate. i came home -- i commuted home, over two million miles on amtrak

when i lost my family when i first got here. my oldest son, he was attorney general. my oldest son said what are you doing friday? i said what do you want me to do? he said pin my bars on. i was like, you're married, with kids. he said i know, but i've got to go. he went and served for a year in iraq. he was exposed to burn pits. had stage 4 glioblastoma like so many more of our folks. i watched the nurses and doctors who took care of him for so long. and by the way, i want to take a moment to speak to all military spouse, kids, parents here today. most americans never see the sacrifices. that you make.

every single day. they'll never see all those holidays and birthdays with an empty seat at the dinner table as mom or dad is deployed. they'll never see all the moves you had to make. to new state to new school, to new jobs. but i see it. jill saw it. she made it her life's work. she's done everything big and small to help military spouses find child care, build their own careers. by hanging photos of deployed moms and dads outside classrooms for national guard folks. because then every holiday, every time there's something going on, their moms and dads weren't there, no one ever mentioned it. she started getting every classroom in america to put a picture of a mom or dad outside

the classroom. even this morning she held an event for joining forces, historic white house initiative to support the military and veterans' families. because as the poet john milton wrote, they also serve who only stand and wait. they also serve who only stand and wait. so for the last time as commander in chief i want to say, thank you. thank you, thank you to all the families. we owe you. i've long said as a nation we have many obligations. but we only have one truly sacred obligation. that's to prepare those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families when they come home and when they don't. the last four year, kamala and i have worked to make good that obligation. passed more than 45 bipartisan

laws to support you, including something i felt so strongly about. passage of the pact act. drafted that law and we passed it. now it's already helped over one million service members and their survivors. their children. access everything from ledge to health care. these people were exposed to toxins. my generation to agent orange. my son's generation to burn pits. we had to prove that what you had, that your disease, all the brain damage, all the brain cancers, were a direct consequence of those toxins, or agent orange. but we changed that. i want to publicly thank the 9/11 commission. all those folks, all those

firefighters, who were so badly, badly damaged because of the fumes, the toxins, associated with 9/11. those of you who are the vietnam generation, finally, you only had to prove the stuff dropped on you. didn't have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt it caused the do disease. we invested over $1 trillion in defense industrial base. real dollars, that's more than america did in any four-year period in the cold war. we've also invested record resources to fight the scourge of military suicide. no more calling and saying, my husband needs help. he needs help. not getting an answer.

we brought veterans homelessness to record lows. made historic changes in military justice system. reduce the rates of sexual assault for the first time in nearly a decade. ended the ban on transgender service. took landmark steps to create more opportunities for military spouses. expanded opportunities for women in combat roles. i'm proud to have appointed the first woman as service chief in the history of this country. clap for that, folks. she deserves it. [applause] i don't know about the rest of you guys, but the women in my family are a hell of a lot smarter than the men in my family. if there's one thing i hope to take away from today is this.

this is not hyperbole. you are truly the finest fighting force in the history of the world. that's not hyperbole. that's true. everything i and others have asked of you, you've done. you've done. with honor. commitment. grit. guts. let me close with a final request. i say it not as your president or commander in chief. i say it as a man who spent 50 years of his life serving his country in a different way. remember your oath. my son, major beau biden used to call it home base. that's a set of principles, values, that give you light and darkness. that guide you. true to the military's best weapon, best training in the world. we have the most cutting edge ships planes and subs. we had the smartest, most

well-trained force on earth. that's all critical. but that alone is not what makes us strong. this is not what brought washington's band of brothers together all those years ago. it's our values. i mean it sincerely. it's our values. american values. our commitment to honor. to integrity. to unity. to protecting and defending not a person or party or place, but an idea. literally unlike any other in human history. that idea is, the united states of america is unique in the world. virtually every other nation in the world is based on geography, ethnicity or religion. some defining feature. we're the only nation in the

world, only nation in history, built on an idea. an idea. an idea that we're all created equal. we know the words by heart. we're endowed by our creator with certain inalienable right, among them life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness. that's the idea that generations of service members have fought for. idea. you have sworn an oath to defend. as a nation, we've never fully lived up to that idea. but we have never, ever, ever walked away from it. our country is counting on you to ensure that that will always be true. as i said when i began, 1% of you defend 99% of people across this nation. that's why you all deserve a special place in our hearts. and in god's heart. may god bless you all.

and may god protect our troops. thank you, thank you, thank you. [applause] ♪

♪ >> attention.

>> honor guard. pass in review.

>> forward, march. ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

>> distinguished guests, please stand for the service songs of the armed forces of the united states. ♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[applause] >> distinguished guests, this concludes today's farewell tribute in honor of our commander in chief, joseph r. biden, 46th president of the united states. please remain at your seats for the departure of the official party. ♪

♪ >> stay tuned to the c-span networks for comprehensive coverage of confirmation hearings for president-elect trump's cabinet nominees. on friday, south dakota dpovernor kristi nome, tapped to lead the department of homeland security, appears for the senate homeland security committee. watch live on the c-span net woverk, 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 commerce and a new chapter begins with the swearing in of the