Pelosi Floor Speech in Support of War Powers Resolution | Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi Floor Speech in Support of War Powers Resolution | Speaker Nancy Pelosi
January 9, 2020
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H. Con. Res. 83, to limit the President’s military action regarding Iran. Below are the Speaker’s remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Madam Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding, and I thank him for his leadership in bringing this important opportunity to express our concern about the President's actions. I salute him and thank the support on the other side of the aisle for this legislation.

As we know, last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high level Iranian military officials and he did so without consulting Congress. When I first heard from the Administration, the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, I said, ‘How – why did you not consult Congress in this change in approach?’ And they said, ‘Because we had to keep this close.’ ‘We had to keep this close.’

You had to keep it ‘close’ from the Gang of Eight? The Leadership of the Congress? ‘We had to keep it close because we didn't word to get out.’ Well, we deserve the respect from the Administration, and the Congress deserves by dint of the Constitution the requirement of the Administration to consult Congress.

We know full well, better than many in the Administration, the importance of classified information. We know that we're supposed to support sources and methods. We also know that the consultation that they would give to us does not enable us to divulge any information. So, who are they ‘keeping it close’ from? They admitted, this Administration, they were ‘keeping it close’ from the Congress of the United States. And they did so – now, they did a classified presentation yesterday, which their own party members, Republican Senators, said it was the most demeaning and worst classified briefing they had had. I myself think there's stiff competition for that designation of worst presentation by this Administration in a classified briefing.