Xavier Becerra: “I offer my congratulations to my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), on his nomination by his colleagues.…”

“I offer my congratulations to my friend, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan), on his nomination by his colleagues. At this time, as chairman of the Democratic Caucus of this House, I wish to place in nomination the name of a proven leader for the Office of Speaker of the House of Representatives: A leader who has accomplished, in this Chamber and for this country, what few can match; A leader who, as Speaker of this House, secured passage of landmark economic recovery package legislation in 2009 which transformed a diving economy, losing 800,000 jobs each month, to one which has now created more than 13 million jobs over the last 67 consecutive months of job growth; A leader who, as Speaker, accomplished what 70 years of Congresses could not, enactment of our lifesaving health security law, which has put 18 million more Americans in control of their and their children's health care; A leader who had the foresight, in 2008, to fight for the biggest investment in our troops since World War II, with the passage of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, and the largest investment in our veterans' health care and benefits in the 77-year history of the VA; A leader who was not afraid to take on the challenge of fixing our broken immigration system and secured passage of the DREAM Act in 2010. Mr. Speaker, leadership is about making the tough choices and getting things done.…”