Speaker of the House John Boehner

A Short Speech about Humility & Principle, Getting to Work
John Boehner’s pitch-perfect opening to the 112th Congress has just ended. In contrast to the previous Congress, he focused on “listening.” Rhetorically, it was an appropriate follow-on to the tea-party election. In sum, paraphrased: We hear you, you want us to get to work, not try to impress and spin you with grand words. Too much is at stake and we’ve got a lot to prove. It was a workman, not wordsmith Speech. Appropriate to the people’s House, as they voters...

GOP's Boehner Gets House Speaker's Gavel
Ohio Republican John Boehner has finally received his life-long wish: He is speaker of the House of Representatives. In a symbolic move, outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi handed over the gavel to Boehner, who gave a brief Speech in which he pledged to move forward with the conservative agenda voters approved in giving the GOP control of the House. Below are the excerpts of his address: Excerpts from Boehner's Speech to the Opening Session of the 112th Congress Washington (Jan 5) Following are exce...

Boehner: 'Welcome to the people's house'
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. John Boehner, newly elected speaker of the House of Representatives, pledged Wednesday to work to "give government back to the people." "Hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress," Boehner said. "No longer can we fall short. No longer can we kick the can down the road." Voters on Nov. 2 "humbled us," reminding lawmakers "just how temporary the privilege of serving is," Boehner said. "They have reminded us that everything here is on...

Boehner Elected Speaker
The New York Times reports: The new speaker of the House, John Boehner, promised a new era of transparency in lawmaking on Wednesday, but he also pledged to aggressively push forward the conservative agenda that swept his party into power. A roll-call vote of the chamber’s 435 members ended the way the results of November’s election determined that it would: with more votes for Mr. Boehner than for the Democratic Leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, making him speaker. In rem...

Area Congressman John Boehner becomes speaker of the House
WASHINGTON – Dayton-area Congressman John Boehner was elected speaker of the House on Wednesday, sealing newfound Republican power-sharing in Congress and drawing the curtain on the history-making Nancy Pelosi era at the helm. Cheers broke out among GOP lawmakers on the House floor as Boehner, a Veteran lawmaker from West Chester Twp., defeated Pelosi in the roll call for speaker. His rise to the helm of the House was virtually guaranteed months ago, when the Midterm Elections returned Rep...

It's never too early to ask for contributions
Washington (CNN) - Just minutes after being handed the speaker's gavel by outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, new Speaker John Boehner is already asking for financial support. In an email put out by the National Republican Congressional Committee, Boehner points out that "with President Obama in the White House and Democrats running the Senate, we're still outnumbered in Washington." The Ohio Republican then asks GOP supporters for help, saying "your support now will ensure the NRCC begin...

Nancy Pelosi hands over the gavel to Speaker John Boehner (Slideshow)
Today was a historic day in Washington D.C. as the 112th Congress convened for the first time.  Republicans officially asserted their power as the majority in the House of Representatives by electing Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) as Speaker of the House.  Boehner takes over as speaker for Rep. Nancy Pelosi who has served in the position since 2007.  In the slideshow to the left, readers can see pictures from the somewhat awkward moment when Pelosi literally hands over the gavel to Boeh...

Boehner Elected Speaker as 112th Congress Is Sworn In; Some Democrats Protest Pelosi
Pledging to "give government back to the people," Rep. John Boehner of Ohio was sworn in Wednesday as the speaker of the House for the 112th Congress, having received all 241 Republican votes. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was chosen House Minority Leader with 173 votes, though her election revealed tensions within the party: 19 Democratic members logged "Protest votes," signaling their displeasure with her as leader of their Caucus. Of these votes, Rep. Health Shuler (N.C.) garnered 11, while Rep...

Boehner makes first fundraising pitch as Speaker
House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) made his first Fundraising pitch on Wednesday since formally assuming office on Wednesday. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) released a letter by Boehner to Republicans asking for donations shortly after Boehner wrapped up his first Speech after being sworn in as Speaker. "[W]hile our new Majority continues to listen to the American People and act on their will, those who want more spending, higher taxes, and bigger government are digg...

Rep. John Boehner Sworn In As New Speaker Of The House
Today Congressman John Boehner was formally elected the new Speaker of the House of Representatives. Outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi passed a very large gavel off to Boehner, and now the House is officially under new leadership. Pelosi, in an unusually long Speech, thanked her colleagues for the opportunity to serve, congratulated Boehner and wished him success. Those expecting tears from the typically emotional Boehner were satisfied as Boehner’s tears began to flow before he even got to th...

Boehner Takes the Speaker's Gavel
Power in the House of Representatives shifted to the Republicans today when Republican leader John Boehner was officially elected Speaker, creating a new challenge for President Obama's Democratic agenda. After two years of embracing their status as the "Party of No," Republicans say they are ready to take the reins and put new emphasis on cutting Government Spending and reducing the size of the federal Bureaucracy. "The American People have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to j...

Fired-up Obama foes take over US House
A tense era of political power-sharing dawned in Washington on Wednesday as a new US Congress convened with President Barack Obama's Republican foes in control of the House of Representatives. Incoming Republican House Speaker John Boehner warned lawmakers they faced "great challenges" as his party prepared a freshly invigorated assault on Obama's agenda with an eye on thwarting his 2012 Reelection bid. The White House's foes also enjoyed a stronger Senate minority thanks to a pack of new conser...

Obama foe Boehner elected US House leader (AFP)
WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President Barack Obama's Republican foes elected their leader John Boehner speaker of the House of Representatives as a new US Congress convened Wednesday, ushering in a tense era of power-sharing. In a vote made a mere formality by the robust Republican majority, Boehner beat Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi by a 241-173 margin to become the third-ranking US elected official. "We gather here today at a time of great challenges," he said in excer...

Passing the gavel: Congratulations Speaker Boehner (Rep. Nancy Pelosi)
It is a high honor to welcome all Members of Congress and their families to the House of Representatives. To the new members and their families, let me offer a special welcome and congratulations. We all come here to represent our constituents; our respect for each other is rooted in our respect for the people we serve. This month we will observe the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration. As a Student, I was there in the freezing cold and heard the stirring address wh...

It's the 'people's House,' but which 'people'?
IT'S THE 'PEOPLE'S HOUSE,' BUT WHICH 'PEOPLE'?.... Ohio Republican John Boehner formally took the gavel this afternoon, becoming the 61st Speaker of the House. In his remarks -- which were, thankfully, far shorter than the half-hour Speech Newt Gingrich delivered upon becoming Speaker in '95 -- Boehner returned to one phrase in particular more than once. "The American People have humbled us. They have refreshed our memories as to just how temporary the privilege to serve is. They have reminded...

Pelosi Olive Branch Is Already Dead
This morning, at a special swearing-in ceremony for the Congressional Black Caucus, outgoing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi offered the GOP an olive branch and the promise of cooperation: “We extend the hand of friendship to create jobs, grow the Middle Class and reduce the Deficit. We look for common ground to solve the problems of the American People: their health, their housing, their jobs, their savings, their Children’s education.” But, just hours later, and about a minute after

Boehner Sworn In As House Speaker: 'It's Still Just Me'
Newly initiated House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) just spoke on the House floor and took the oath of office, saying that "the people voted to end business as usual and today we begin to carry out their instructions." An (unsurprisingly) teary Boehner first symbolically accepted the gavel from outgoing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who got some chuckles when she noted that this gavel "is larger than most gavels here, but the gavel of choice by Speaker Boehner." Despite the fanfare of the moment,...

No Surprise, Republicans to Break Promise on Spending Cuts
No Surprise, Republicans to Break Promise on Spending Cuts In September, future House Speaker John Boehner unveiled the GOP Pledge to America, which among its other warmed-over Republican nostrums promised to save "at least $100 billion in the first year alone" from the federal Budget. In December, incoming House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) repeated the GOP guarantee that "a good $100 billion" would be trimmed. Now, after months of cowardly refusing to specify what those draconi...

Obama foe Boehner takes helm as US speaker
New US House Speaker John Boehner, now the sharpest congressional thorn in President Barack Obama's side, has been both bomb-thrower and bridge-builder in his two-decades in Washington politics. Boehner, who replaced Democrat Nancy Pelosi as the third-ranking US elected official, will have to manage those two roles as he works to enact his agenda while pleasing arch-conservative "Tea Party" Activists key to the Republican romp in November 2 Elections. "We gather here today at a time of great c...

Local Congressman Boehner becomes speaker of the House today
WASHINGTON – Local congressman John Boehner, who today will become just the third Ohio lawmaker to be speaker of the U.S. House, will tell House members that Americans in November “voted to end business as usual and today we begin carrying out those instructions.’’ In a Speech delivered to the House moments after being sworn in, the West Chester Township Republican will press the new Republican majority to aggressively reduce federal spending at a time when the government...

Local Congressman Boehner becomes speaker of the House today
WASHINGTON – Local congressman John Boehner, who today will become just the third Ohio lawmaker to be speaker of the U.S. House, will tell House members that Americans in November “voted to end business as usual and today we begin carrying out those instructions.’’ In a Speech delivered to the House moments after being sworn in, the West Chester Township Republican will press the new Republican majority to aggressively reduce federal spending at a time when the government...

Rep. John Boehner elected speaker of the House
Stumble This! US President Barack Obama's Republican foes elected their leader John Boehner speaker of the House of Representatives as a new US Congress convened Wednesday, ushering in a tense era of power-sharing. In a vote made a mere formality by the robust Republican majority, Boehner beat Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi by a 241-173 margin to become the third-ranking US elected official. "We gather here today at a time of great challenges," he said in excerpts of his inaugural addre...

A polarized Congress in a US seeking pragmatism (AP)
WASHINGTON – There's an inherent conflict in the country's new political reality: a much more polarized Congress must answer to an increasingly powerful center of the electorate that abhors Partisanship or risk its wrath in 2012. Much like President Bill Clinton after his party's disastrous 1994 Elections, President Barack Obama now has the chance to shift to the middle as leaders on Capitol Hill struggle to strike a balance between the desires of ideological purists in their ranks and t...

Boehner wins enough votes to become Speaker of the House
WASHINGTON – A majority of the U.S. House of Representatives has voted to make Dayton-area Congressman John Boehner the new speaker. The roll call is still continuing as of 1:30 p.m. today. Boehner, who now is second in line to the presidency behind Vice President Joe Biden, is the first speaker from Ohio since Nicholas Longworth of Cincinnati in 1931. He is only the second speaker from the Greater Dayton area since Republican J. Warren Keifer of Springfield in 1883. Boehner will be sworn ...

Speaker John Boehner: Now the hard part begins
House Speaker-designate John Boehner of Ohio greets House members during the first session of the 112th Congress, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 5. Rep. John Boehner (R) of Ohio takes the gavel as Speaker of the House Wednesday - a momentous step that represents a personal triumph and a political resurgence for his party. House GOP health-care Repeal: What will that bill do, exactly? GOP push for repeal of health reform: Is it politically wise? But Congressman Boehner won&#...