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Mr. President, thank you for those kind remarks and for giving me this opportunity to serve as America's 74th Treasury secretary. I appreciate the trust you have placed in me to lead the Treasury Department at a time when we must ensure that our economy remains strong, our markets remain competitive, and our workers have the opportunity to realize their full economic potential.To my family, and especially Wendy, my wife and best friend of 37 years – thank you for your support as I return to public service, after 32 years in the private sector. Wendy and I are very pleased to have on stage with us today – my mother, Marianna, our son Merritt, and our daughter Amanda. Also here are a number of close friends and family members, including my brother Dick and my sister Kay. We all fondly remember our late father, Merritt, who was an amateur historian and an Alexander Hamilton fan.
Thank you Chief Justice Roberts for administering the oath of office.
And thank you to all of my Cabinet colleagues, my friends and colleagues from Goldman Sachs, members of Congress, and other distinguished guests, for attending this ceremony.
As I begin my first day at the Treasury Department, I remember those who have preceded me in this post. Throughout our nation's history, my predecessors here have helped to build an economy and a financial system that are the envy of the modern world.
Mr. President, I am 100 percent committed to building on these past achievements and to doing my best to ensure that our economy remains a model of strength, flexibility, and openness. I look forward to working with you in collaboration with your other economic advisers, my Cabinet colleagues, members of both parties of Congress, and the great professionals at Treasury. One of my first priorities will be forging a close working relationship with Treasury's career professionals.
Under your leadership, Mr. President, our economy has achieved steady growth and has created millions of jobs. This growth has been achieved despite the stiff challenges of terrorist attacks, an economic downturn, corporate scandals, and devastating natural disasters. And as you have pointed out, there are still a number of challenges ahead of us and important goals to be met.
The American economic system and our workers have always been winners and they will continue to win. Our job is to help them do just that. We need to pursue economic and regulatory policies that are responsive to today's world and to the challenges and goals you have set forward.
And, of course, as we pursue these goals, we must always remember that the strength of the U.S. economy is linked to the strength of the global economy. It is critical for the United States to remain actively engaged with our economic partners. And it's in our interest to advance those policies that will help to build a more prosperous world. Doing so contributes to our economic progress, as well as our national security.
If we retreat from the global stage, the void is likely to be filled by those who do not share our commitment to economic reform. Instead, we must work to expand trade and investment, work to reform and modernize international financial markets and be vigilant in identifying and managing potential financial vulnerability.
Mr. President, thank you again for the nomination, and thank you for coming today. I look forward to getting to work.