WASHINGTON -- The 116th Congress gaveled into session Thursday, returning Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., to the House speaker's office on the first day of a new, divided Congress that is more likely to confront President Donald Trump.
Pelosi, 78, drew a standing ovation when she noted that more than 100 women members (127) were serving in the new Congress, the largest number in history. She then spoke of her vision for the House at a time of divided government.
"Our nation is at a historic moment," Pelosi said. "Two months ago, the American people spoke and demanded a new dawn. They called upon the beauty of our Constitution: Our system of checks and balances that protects our democracy, remembering that the legislative branch is Article I: the first branch of government, coequal to the presidency and to the judiciary."
She called on lawmakers to "be pioneers of the future" and work to "redeem the promise of the American Dream for every family, advancing progress for every community."
Pelosi secured the votes of 220 members out of a total of 430 present. Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the top Republican in the chamber, received 192 votes.
Pelosi was elected on day 13 of a partial government shutdown over Trump's demands for money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
[RELATED: Democrats OK bills to end shutdown]
Trump congratulated Pelosi during a rare appearance at the White House briefing room, saying her election by House colleagues was "a tremendous, tremendous achievement." The president has tangled often with Pelosi, but he said, "I think it'll be a little bit different than a lot of people are thinking."
McCarthy struck a note of bipartisanship as he introduced Pelosi, praising the new speaker as "an experienced leader with three decades of service in Congress, a fighter for her causes, and a true trailblazer."
"We are now entering a period of divided government, but that is no excuse for gridlock and inaction," McCarthy said.
"We are at our best when we focus not on retribution but on building a more perfect union."
Scores of newly elected Democrats in the most racially, ethnically and gender-diverse class in history were on hand for the occasion, greeting Pelosi with multiple standing ovations as she was nominated by Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who hailed her work on behalf of the Democratic agenda.
"Let me be clear, House Democrats are down with NDP -- Nancy D'Alesandro Pelosi," Jeffries said, referring to a Naughty by Nature song.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., one of only 13 women in House GOP ranks, nominated McCarthy, praising him as a leader who "will never compromise on our fundamental rights and freedoms" and "stand against the fraud of socialism."
House Republicans gave several standing ovations, including when Cheney said McCarthy supports efforts to "build the wall."
Pelosi pledged that the House will be the "champions of the middle class," protecting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security and ensuring that struggling families have "an economy that works for you."
And she urged both chambers to "work to put an end to the inaction and denial of science that threaten the planet and the future."
She concluded with a tribute to former President George H.W. Bush, who died last month, and announced that as their first act, House Democrats would be introducing legislation to end the partial government shutdown to "meet the needs of the American people, to protect our borders, and to respect our workers."
Pelosi became the first person since Rep. Sam Rayburn of Texas, more than 60 years ago, to reclaim the position of House speaker.
One Democrat, Rep. Brenda Lawrence of Michigan, cast her vote for Pelosi "on the shoulders of women who marched 100 years ago" for women's suffrage. Newly elected Rep. Lucy McBath of Georgia, an advocate for more gun legislation, dedicated hers to her slain teenage son, Jordan Davis.
[RELATED: Six Arkansans uncertain of end to U.S. shutdown]
But Pelosi's election was not without dissent. Having spent more than 15 years at the helm of her party and after demonization by Republicans during the midterm congressional election as the ultra-liberal face of far-left radicalism, Pelosi spent the weeks after Democrats won putting down a rebellion over her leadership in Democratic ranks and consolidating support through a combination of deal-cutting and cajoling.
Many of the newly elected members had campaigned on calling for change in Washington and a new generation of leadership for their party, and promising not to vote for Pelosi as a result. As part of a final deal to shore up support, Pelosi agreed to limit her speakership to four years.
A WORD OF PRAYER
Shortly after the Democrats took control of the House on Thursday, Trump took to Twitter to praise Republican National Committee Chairman Ronna McDaniel and assert that the party "has never been stronger."
"We achieved historic wins with her help last year!" Trump wrote.
In the November midterms, Democrats made a net gain of 40 seats in the House, flipping control of the chamber. Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate by two seats.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo., a United Methodist pastor, gave the opening prayer in the House as the 116th Congress convened Thursday afternoon.
"When we leave this place, we will, with your blessing, launch a bold attempt to become the architects of a kindlier nation," Cleaver said, calling for Congress "to rise as a legislative body above political selfishness" and "address the great challenges of this day, that are fraught with tribalism at home and turbulence abroad."
After the Pledge of Allegiance, the House began its quorum call. Not present was Mark Harris, the GOP candidate in North Carolina's 9th District, who said he planned to meet with investigators Thursday during an inquiry into election-fraud allegations.
The halls of the Capitol were bustling with arrivals. Many new lawmakers carried children in their arms. Visitor galleries included crooner Tony Bennett and Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, both guests of Pelosi. Incoming White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney, a former congressman, sat with Republican leaders.
Meanwhile in the Senate, Vice President Mike Pence administered the oath of office to elected members in small groups.
As he prepared for his swearing-in as a senator from Utah, Mitt Romney brushed aside criticism from fellow Republicans over his commentary criticizing Trump.
"I'm not worried about what other people think about what I have to say," he said. "I just want to hear what they have to say about their priorities and their perspectives."
Romney, who appeared briefly outside his temporary office in the basement of the Russell Senate Office Building, also defended the timing of his words.
"Some people said, 'Well, you should have waited a couple of months, or four months.' I'm not sure what makes special one time versus another, other than to do your very best from the beginning to describe what's important to you," he said.
Romney said it was "important as I step into the Senate in this new responsibility, to lay out my priorities and my perspectives, which I was able to do."
In the commentary published Tuesday night in The Washington Post, Romney said Trump's "most glaring" shortfall has been in shaping the character of the nation.
Information for this article was contributed by John Wagner, Felicia Sonmez, Mike DeBonis, Elise Viebeck, Paul Kane, Sean Sullivan, David Weigel, Scott Clement and Emily Guskin of The Washington Post; by Lisa Mascaro, Jill Colvin, Matthew Daly, Alan Fram, Kevin Freking, Mary Clare Jalonick, Laurie Kellman and Zeke J. Miller of The Associated Press; and by Julie Hirschfeld Davis of The New York Times.
A Section on 01/04/2019