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Floor Speech

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Mr. CASSIDY. Madam President, only in the United States of America can the son of a Shreveport firefighter, the first college graduate in his family--only in our country can a person like this win a seat in Congress and just a few years later be elected the 56th Speaker of the House.

Speaker Mike Johnson made history for our country and my home State by becoming the first Speaker of the House of Representatives ever from Louisiana. If you are from Louisiana--more particularly from Shreveport, Bossier, or Northwest Louisiana--or, by the way, if you graduated from Captain Shreve, you know Mike Johnson. He is the pride of them all. He is a straight shooter, a family man, a diligent man.

Jim McCrery was the Congressman who held that same seat at a time in the past. When I was first elected, he gave me this advice: Keep your word, show up, and do your homework.

I am sure he gave that same advice to Mike Johnson or, if not, Mike just was naturally that way, because it describes him to a tee. It is the reason why he is able to unify House Republicans, winning every Republican vote for Speaker for the first time since 2011.

He has the ability to bridge divides that a lot of very capable people were not able to do. Mike brought together people who disagreed and kept them talking until they found a way forward. That is what leaders do. He is strong in his convictions, but he is not someone looking to steamroll others. He is a unifier and has a talent for working with folks to find common ground.

We have all seen the push and pull between those who wish to govern and, frankly, those who are not very interested in governing. Mike wishes to govern. He wants to govern with conservative principles to get things done for the country and, hopefully, for my State as well. He has the temperament, intelligence, and integrity to do that as Speaker.

I look forward to working with him to address issues like investing in American energy, securing our southern border, addressing the insurance crisis in Louisiana and nationwide, and finally doing something about the long-term debt being driven, among other things, by a Social Security Program going insolvent. With a conservative Speaker working to secure conservative wins, the country will do well.

We both share a strong sense of duty, a deep faith, and a love for God. You could see his faith shine through in his speech when he won the vote. Of course, we share a deep love for our home State, Louisiana. Having a Speaker from Louisiana will help bring some good Louisiana values, perspective, priorities, and maybe even a little boiled crawfish to Washington, DC.

Congratulations, Speaker Johnson, and to his wife Kelly and their four wonderful children.

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