What is the exact wording of the oath of office for members of the U.S. House of Representatives?

1. What the oath says — the exact wording used for House Members

The Clerk of the House reproduces the precise oath commonly administered on the House floor: “I, (name of Member), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.” The Clerk’s website prints this text and notes the option to “swear (or affirm),” reflecting constitutional protections for affirmations ^{[1] [2]}.

2. Where this wording comes from — legal and historical sources

The requirement that Representatives be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution originates in Article VI of the Constitution; Congress soon enacted an oath statute, and the form of the oath has evolved by statute and practice since the first Oath of Office bill in 1789 (which read much more simply) through later acts in the 19th and 20th centuries ^{[3] [4]}. Modern references such as the Clerk’s office and legal summaries reproduce the current formula and note that it has been the operative wording since mid-20th century updates described in House histories ^{[1] [2]}.

3. Who administers it and when — House practice and procedure

By statute the oath is administered at the opening session: any Member may swear the Speaker, and the Speaker then administers the oath to Members present; the Clerk prints copies for signature and recordkeeping (2 U.S.C. §25 and Clerk guidance). Members elected later during a Congress are sworn before taking their seats, and special arrangements (e.g., judges or other Members) have been authorized on rare occasions if someone misses the mass swearing-in ^{[5] [4] [1]}.

4. “So help me God” and the option to affirm — religious wording and choice

The published text ends with “So help me God,” but the oath explicitly preserves the alternative to “affirm” rather than “swear,” accommodating those who decline religious language; official guidance and statute permit either form and the House historically prints the oath for Members who then subscribe and file it ^{[1] [2]}. The House historian notes that “so help me God” has been part of non-presidential oaths since the 19th century, distinguishing it from the presidential oath where its use is traditional rather than statutory ^[4].

5. Records, evidentiary value, and signed copies

Federal law requires the Clerk to furnish and file signed copies of the oath: each Member signs two printed copies, one filed in House records and the other recorded in the Journal and Congressional Record; such signed copies are admissible in federal court as conclusive proof that the Member took the oath (2 U.S.C. §25 as reproduced in House code summaries) ^{[5] [6]}.

6. Variations, exceptions, and historical evolution

The exact words have changed over time; the first congressional oath in 1789 was shorter (“I, A.B., do solemnly swear or affirm … that I will support the Constitution of the United States.”) and later congressional acts expanded and standardized the wording now in use ^[3]. House practice manuals and the Clerk’s office document both the standard form and special oaths (for classified access, for example), noting procedural flexibility when credentials are delayed ^{[7] [1]}.

Limitations and sourcing note: this summary relies on the Clerk and House History pages and federal code reproductions provided in the cited materials; available sources do not mention any alternate, contemporaneous official wording beyond the quoted formula and the option to “affirm” ^{[1] [2]}.