Nancy Pelosi Speech After Being Elected House speaker. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) made it clear in her first speech as House Speaker on Thursday: Her caucus plans to follow the will of the people who voted them into office. In her address to the Chamber after accepting the Speaker’s gavel from newly-minted House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Pelosi discussed her first order of business — bringing legislation to the floor to end the 13-day long government shutdown. “We will debate and advance good ideas no matter where they come from,” Pelosi said. “And in that spirit, Democrats will be offering the Senate Republican appropriations legislation to reopen government later today.” Pelosi went on to echo the words of her colleague, the new House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who claimed his party’s mandate in earlier remarks. “And as Mr. Jeffries, our distinguished chairman said, we will follow our mandate for the people,” Pelosi said. “And I thank you for your kind nomination, and accept those kind remarks on behalf of the entire House Democratic caucus who made all of those victories possible.”
