众议院议长南希·佩洛西的官方肖像周三在美国国会大厦雕像馆揭幕，这标志着议长夫人第一次出现在她的前任们的脸上。
这引起了第一个把木槌递给她的人，共和党人约翰·博纳动情的称赞。
82岁的佩洛西是民主党任职时间最长的众议院领袖，也是第一位当选议长的女性。周三，她穿着她标志性的冬季白色礼服，和她的丈夫保罗，她的孩子和孙子们一起。
“这幅画将作为一个女人出现在议长的大厅里。我真的很荣幸我的成员有勇气选出一位女议长，”佩洛西说，赢得了掌声。“那不是没有勇气。”
“在这个国会的某个地方，有一个未来的女议长。我很荣幸成为第一个，但如果我不是最后一个，这将是一个很好的成就，”佩洛西补充说，并预测这将“更早，而不是更晚”
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is joined by her family and husband Paul Pelosi, far right, as they attend her portrait unveiling ceremony in Statuary Hall at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 14, 2022.
J.斯科特·阿普尔怀特/美联社
这位加州民主党人在中期选举后宣布，她将辞去新一届国会的党首职务，在共和党夺回众议院控制权之前，将火炬传递给新一代民主党领导人。
在她任职期间，佩洛西因其筹款和立法能力赢得了尊重，在众议院通过了患者保护与平价医疗法案和尊重婚姻法案等法案。
在佩洛西第一次担任议长之前，博纳回到国会山参加下午的仪式，在他发表讲话后，两人拥抱在一起。
“议长女士，这些年来，你和我在许多问题上有政治分歧，但我们从未彼此不和，”博纳说，并补充说佩洛西一直对他和他的家人“亲切”。
博纳哽咽着说，“我的女儿们告诉我，‘告诉议长我们有多崇拜她。他竭力控制自己标志性的情绪，开玩笑地补充道，“好像你看不出来，我的女儿们是民主党人。”。"
博纳补充说:“事实是，在现代，没有任何一位众议院议长，无论是共和党还是民主党，拥有如此权威或如此一致的结果。”"我只能说你是个坚强的人。"
”他给了我惊堂木。我给了他木槌，”佩洛西说。"我参加了他的肖像揭幕仪式，现在他也参加了我的。"
佩洛西的画像将和她的前任们的一起挂在议长大厅里，这是众议院的一个长期传统。
出席仪式的其他嘉宾包括参议院多数党领袖查克·舒默，民主党众议员哈基姆·杰弗里斯和斯泰尼·霍耶，共和党众议员史蒂夫·斯卡利斯和加利福尼亚州代表团的其他成员:民主党众议员佐伊·洛夫格伦和露西尔·罗伊巴尔-阿拉德。
Lofgren在开幕式上感谢佩洛西的家人“在过去的35年里与我们和这个国家分享了她。”佩洛西的丈夫保罗·佩洛西在他们旧金山的家中遭到暴力袭击，他戴着一顶黑色帽子，在仪式上坐在佩洛西旁边，当舒默注意到他的出席时，他受到了人群的起立鼓掌。
“要用语言表达南希·佩洛西对众议院、国会、国家以及我要说的世界的影响是一项艰巨的任务，”洛夫格伦说。"在她从事公共服务的这些年里，她一直是一股非凡的力量。"
舒默登上领奖台，称赞佩洛西的职业道德和保持民主党党团团结的努力。“结果不言自明，”他说，强调了她在患者保护与平价医疗法案、防止对妇女施暴法、两党基础设施法等方面的工作。
舒默说:“南希·佩洛西为来自各行各业的无数妇女和女孩创造了一个更美好的世界。”。“在外面的某个地方，一位未来的议长女士正等待着她有所作为的机会，当她这样做时，她将站在我的朋友南希·佩洛西的肩膀上。”
众议院少数党领袖、加州共和党人凯文·麦卡锡也出席了肖像揭幕仪式，但没有发言。麦卡锡跳过了佩洛西宣布她辞职决定的发言，告诉记者他正忙于“会议”
这幅肖像画是罗纳德·舍尔画的，他于上周去世。谢尔还画了博纳的肖像，佩洛西提到了这一点，以及乔治H.W布什总统和前国务卿科林·鲍威尔的肖像。
虽然佩洛西不再担任领导职务，但她将继续代表她的旧金山选区，就像她在新国会中30多年来所做的那样。
John Boehner chokes up at Nancy Pelosi's official portrait unveiling
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's official portrait was unveiled Wednesday in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, marking the first time a madame speaker joined the faces of the men who preceded her.
It prompted an emotional tribute from the man who first handed her the gavel, Republican John Boehner.
Pelosi, 82, is the Democratic Party's longest-serving House leader and the first woman to be elected speaker. She wore her signature winter white on Wednesday, joined by her husband, Paul, her children and grandchildren.
"This painting will stand out as a woman in that Speaker's Lobby. I'm really honored my members had the courage to elect a woman speaker," Pelosi said to applause. "That is not without courage."
"Somewhere in this Congress is a future woman speaker to be. I'm honored to be the first, but it will only be a good accomplishment if I'm not that last," Pelosi added, predicting that will happen "sooner, rather than later."
The California Democrat announced after the midterm elections that she was stepping down as party leader in the new Congress, passing the torch to a new generation of Democratic leaders, ahead of Republicans taking back control of the House.
During her tenure, Pelosi garnered respect for her fundraising and legislative prowess, ushering bills like the Affordable Care Act and Respect for Marriage Act through the House.
Boehner, who preceded Pelosi's first term as speaker, returned to Capitol Hill for the afternoon ceremony, where the two shared a hug following his remarks.
"Madame speaker, you and I have disagreed politically on many things over the years, but we were never disagreeable with each other," Boehner said, adding Pelosi has always been "gracious" to him and his family.
Boehner got choked up as he said, "My girls told me, 'Tell the speaker how much we admire her." Struggling to keep his trademark emotions in check, he jokingly added, "As if you couldn't tell, my girls are Democrats."
"And the fact of the matter is no other speaker of the House in the modern era, Republican or Democrat, has wielded the gavel with such authority or with such consistent results," Boehner added. "Let me just say you're one tough cookie."
"He gave me the gavel. I gave him the gavel," Pelosi said. "I was at his portrait unveiling, and now he is at mine."
Pelosi's portrait will join those of her predecessors in the Speaker's Lobby -- a longstanding tradition in the House.
Other guests present for the occasion included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democratic Reps. Hakeem Jeffries and Steny Hoyer, GOP Rep. Steve Scalise and fellow members of the California delegation: Democratic Reps. Zoe Lofgren and Lucille Roybal-Allard.
Lofgren opened the event by thanking Pelosi's family for "graciously sharing her with us and the country for the past 35 years." Paul Pelosi, Pelosi's husband who was violently assaulted in their San Francisco home, was wearing a black hat and sitting next to Pelosi during the ceremony -- and received a standing ovation from the crowd when Schumer noted his attendance.
"It's a tall order to put into words the impact Nancy Pelosi has had on the House of Representatives, Congress, the nation, and, I would say, the world," Lofgren said. "She has been a singular force for good throughout her years in public service."
Schumer, taking the podium, commended Pelosi for her work ethic and her drive to keep the Democratic caucus united. "The results speak for themselves," he said, highlighting her work on the Affordable Care Act, the Violence Against Women Act, the bipartisan infrastructure law and more.
"Nancy Pelosi has made the world a better place for countless women and girls from all walks of life," Schumer said. "Somewhere out there, a future madame speaker awaits her chance to make a difference, and when she does, she'll be standing on my friend Nancy Pelosi's shoulders."
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., also attended the portrait unveiling but did not speak. McCarthy skipped Pelosi's floor speech announcing her decision to step down, telling reporters he was busy in "meetings."
The portrait was painted by Ronald Scherr, who died last week. Scherr also painted Boehner's portrait, a point Pelosi noted, as well as portraits of President George H.W. Bush and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.
While Pelosi is stepping away from leadership, she will continue to represent her San Francisco district as she has for more than three decades in the new Congress.
