Thursday,
January 6 in the nation’s capitol, members of the House of
Representatives read the Constitution aloud. In all, 140 members
participated in the reading. It was the first time the fundamental
document of American governance had been publicly recited in the House.

U.S. Rep. James Lankford from Oklahoma’s Fifth Congressional District was one of the readers.

In response to a question from CapitolBeatOK, Lankford’s office noted he read Amendment 25, section 3, which reads as follows:

“Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the
Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written
declaration that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his
office, and until he transmits to them a written declaration of the
contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by the Vice
President as the Acting President.”

In a statement sent this afternoon to CapitolBeatOK, Lankford reflected:

“All too often, we have forgotten the vision the Founding Fathers laid
out for this country and that is why today was so important. We need to
get back to the basics as a government and this refresher course should
remind everyone of the principles of freedom, liberty and limited
government our country was built upon.

“It was an honor to take part in today’s historic reading. This was a
great way to begin the 112th Congress and it is my hope that this text
will guide me and my fellow members as we begin working for the American
people.”