--- title: Nancy Pelosi Elected House Speaker: Read the Transcript description: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the U.S. House after Democrats officially took control. Read the full text of her speech at the 116th Congress. canonical: https://time.com/5493191/pelosi-house-speaker-speech-transcript/ author: Gina Martinez article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-01-03T19:49:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-13T08:18:58.883Z article:section: Politics og:title: Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever og:description: 'We must be pioneers of the future' og:url: https://time.com/5493191/pelosi-house-speaker-speech-transcript/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd00248eefe54400a/6989429fdb2987a15c261936/nancy-pelosi-gavel-house-speaker.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: nancy-pelosi-gavel-house-speaker og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever twitter:description: 'We must be pioneers of the future' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltd00248eefe54400a/6989429fdb2987a15c261936/nancy-pelosi-gavel-house-speaker.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=0dd4a0e0-b18e-4675-b7c9-3435d4426ac1&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever [Watch (HLS stream): Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/YxU9Nbim.m3u8) (2:46)  _Published 2019-01-03. Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever_ by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jan 3, 2019 7:49 PM UTC Nancy Pelosi Just Outlined Her Agenda for the Most Diverse Congress Ever by [Gina Martinez](https://time.com/author/gina-martinez/) ## Gina Martinez Jan 3, 2019 7:49 PM UTC Newly-elected [House Speaker Nancy Pelosi](http://time.com/5388347/nancy-pelosi-democrats-feminism/) addressed the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday after Democrats officially took control of the legislative body, invoking two Presidents while laying out her leadership agenda. Both were Republican. Neither was President Donald Trump. Pelosi made her triumphant return as Speaker on Thursday**,** after making history in 2007 as the first woman to hold the position. After the 116th Congress convened on Thursday, Pelosi won back her gavel with 220 total votes. In her speech, Pelosi made reference to President Ronald Reagan and paid tribute to President George H.W. Bush, who died in November. Pelosi evoked former President Reagan’s final speech as President, where he emphasized the importance of open borders. “If we ever closed the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost,” she quoted Reagan as saying. She did not mention Trump’s name, or even make direct reference to him, though Democrats won back the House in the 2018 midterm elections with promises to be an effective check on Trump’s power. In her speech, Pelosi celebrated the 116th Congress as [the most diverse in history](http://time.com/5435522/white-men-not-majority-democratic-candidates/). She said the new Democratic-led House enters with a sense of great hope and confidence for the future and that during the midterms the American people spoke and “demanded a new dawn.” “They want a Congress that delivers results for the people, opening up opportunity and lifting up their lives,” she said. “When our new members take the oath, our Congress will be refreshed, and our Democracy will be strengthened by the optimism, idealism and patriotism of this transformative freshman class.” Pelosi also asked for Republican help in voting to end the [partial government shutdown](http://time.com/5490595/shutdown-lingers-on-stalemate/), which has resulted from a showdown over funding for a U.S.-Mexico border wall that Trump is demanding. “Democrats will be offering the Senate Republican appropriations legislation to re-open government later today – to meet the needs of the American people, to protect our borders, and to respect our workers,” she said. Read Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s full speech: --- > “” --- ## Transcript Let me be clear house Democrats are down with NDP Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi the once and future speaker of the United States House of Representatives I proudly place her name in nomination, may God bless her, may god bless the United States of America. I extend my hand of friendship To every member of this body, and to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, I extend to you this gavel. [ APPLAUSE ] Thank you, everybody. I am particularly proud to be a woman Speaker of the House. Of this Congress which marks the 100th year of woman having the right to vote. [ Cheering ] and that we all have the ability and the privilege to serve with over 100 woman and members of congress The largest number in history. And I pledge that this Congress will be transparent, bipartisan, and unifying. That we will seek to reach across the aisle in this chamber and across divisions across our nation. In the past two years, the American people have spoken. Tens of thousands of public events were held. Hundreds of thousands of people turned out, millions of calls were made, countless families, even sick little children are little lobbyists, our little lobbyists, bravely came forward to tell their stories and they made a big difference. I'd like to call my grandchildren up to be here when I take the oath, and any other children that wanna join them. Come on, kids. Me, me [ LAUGHTER ] [ BLANK_AUDIO ] If the gentlewoman from California would please raise your right hand, which you are doing. Do you solemnly swear that 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. That you take this obligation freely without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion. And that you will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office Which you are about to enter, so help you God? I do. 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