Pelosi Floor Speech on Iran War Powers Resolution: “The Cost is Human”

Washington, D.C. - Today, ahead of the House vote on the Iran War Powers Resolution, Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the House Floor denouncing President Trump for bypassing Congress while American servicemembers lose their lives and hundreds more are injured.

Watch Pelosi's Floor remarks here.(link is external)

Read the transcript of Speaker Emerita Pelosi's Floor remarks below:

Speaker Emerita Pelosi. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I thank the gentleman for yielding. I thank him for his courageous leadership bringing this legislation to the Floor.

We are the House of Representatives. Article One of the Constitution gives the power to declare war to the Congress of the United States. And why? Because we are the Representatives of the people of the United States.

And it is important for the people of the United States to understand the reason why, the purpose, the strategy of it all, and also to approve of the use of force.

Of course, the President did not do that.

And for some reason, there are those in this body who have been willing to abdicate the power of the House of Representatives and the Congress of the United States to declare war.

But the gravest cost, of course, to this war is not just that the American people have not had the explanation by way of the Congress.

The cost is human. Thirteen brave American servicemembers have lost their lives. Hundreds more have been injured, and more than a thousand civilians in the region have perished.

Of course, the cost is in the billions and the President said we can't do child care because we have to spend money on war. We don't have to spend money on war.

We all agree that they cannot have a nuclear weapon. President Obama did that diplomatically. The current President threw that out and decided to go to war without a plan, without a strategy, without an exit plan, and really without even explaining his purpose to the American people.

I urge our colleagues to respect who they are, Members of Congress with the power to declare war, and insist on voting on this motion put forth by the distinguished, soon to be Chairman again of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Thank you.