The daughter of congressmanThomas D'Alesandro Jr., Pelosi was born and raised inBaltimore. She graduated fromTrinity College, Washington, in 1962 and married businessmanPaul Pelosi the next year. They moved toNew York City before settling down in San Francisco with their children. Focused on raising her family, Pelosi entered politics in the 1960s as a volunteer for the Democratic Party. After years of party work, rising to chair thestate party, she was first elected to Congress in a1987 special election. Pelosi steadily rose through the ranks of the House Democratic Caucus to be electedHouse minority whip in 2001[2] and elevated toHouse minority leader a year later.[3]
At the time of Pelosi's birth, her father was aDemocratic congressman representing Maryland. He became mayor of Baltimore seven years later.[6][8] Pelosi's mother was also active in politics, organizing Democratic women and teaching her daughter political skills.[9] Her brother,Thomas D'Alesandro III, a Democrat, was elected Baltimore City Council president and later mayor, serving from 1967 to 1971.[8] As a child, Pelosi helped her father at his campaign events. Her affiliation withliberalism sprouted in the 1960s; she was particularly impressed by PresidentJohn F. Kennedy'sinaugural address.[6]
Pelosi as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1993
Phillip Burton died in 1983 and his wife,Sala Burton, won aspecial election to fill the remainder of her husband's congressional term and was reelected to two more terms. Burton decided not to run for reelection in 1988 and wanted Pelosi to succeed her, guaranteeing Pelosi the support of the Burtons' contacts.[15] After Burton's death, Pelosi won thespecial election to succeed her.[16][17]
Pelosi has continued to represent approximately the same area of San Francisco for her entire congressional career, despite the boundaries shifting marginally in decennial post-reapportionmentredistrictings. This area has been represented in the House by Democrats uninterruptedly since 1949, and is strongly Democratic-leaning (as of 2006, 13% of registered voters in the boundaries of Pelosi's district were Republican). It has not seen a serious Republican congressional contender since the early 1960s.[18] Pelosi has been reelected to the House 18 times[19] without any substantive opposition. Unlike in her 1987 campaign, Pelosi has not participated in candidates' debates in her reelection campaigns. In her first seven reelection campaigns (from 1988 through 2004), she won an average of 80% of the vote.[18]
At the time that Pelosi entered office, there were only 23 women in the House.[20]
When Pelosi entered office, the AIDS epidemic was at a dire point.[21] San Francisco was greatly affected; its large population of gay men was the epidemic's initial epicenter.[22] Beginning in her first term, Pelosi became a prominent congressional advocate on behalf of those impacted by HIV/AIDS.[21] Shortly after she took office, she hired a gay man as her congressional office's director of AIDS policy. In her first floor speech, Pelosi promised that she would be an advocate in the fight against what she called "the crisis of AIDS." With great stigma around the subject, some in her party privately chastised her for publicly associating herself with it.[23] Pelosi co-authored theRyan White CARE Act, which allocated funding dedicated to providing treatment and services for those impacted by HIV/AIDS.[21] PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush signed the bill into law in December 1990.[24]
Pelosi voted for theAbandoned Shipwrecks Act of 1987.[25] The Act asserts United States title to certain abandoned shipwrecks located on or embedded in submerged lands under state jurisdiction, and transfers title to the respective state, thereby empowering states to manage these cultural and historical resources more efficiently, with the goal of preventingtreasure hunters and salvagers from damaging them. PresidentRonald Reagan signed it into law on April 28, 1988.[26]
In 2001, Pelosi was elected the House minority whip, second-in-command to Minority LeaderDick Gephardt. She was the first woman in U.S. history to hold that post.[31] Pelosi defeatedJohn Lewis andSteny Hoyer for the position. A strong fundraiser, she used campaign contributions to help persuade other members of Congress to support her candidacy.[32]
In 2002, Pelosi opposed theIraq Resolution authorizing PresidentGeorge W. Bush to usemilitary force against Iraq, which passed the House on a 296–133 vote.[34][35] She said, "unilateral use of force without first exhausting every diplomatic remedy and other remedies and making a case to the American people will be harmful to our war on terrorism."[36]
Role as a Democratic Party fundraiser
Early in her political career, Pelosi established herself as a prominent fundraiser in the party.[32] She was one of the party's most prolific fundraisers, transferring significant funds to committees for other candidates.[37][38] During the 2000 and 2002 election cycles, among members of Congress, she contributed the most money to other congressional campaigns.[39] In 2006, Pelosi was the Democratic Party's third-largest fundraiser, behind former first coupleBill andHillary Clinton.[40] From 2003 to 2014, Pelosi raised more than $400 million in campaign funds.[38]
First tenure as minority leader (2003–2007)
In November 2002, after Gephardt resigned as House minority leader to seek the Democratic nomination in the2004 presidential election, Pelosi was elected to replace him, becoming the first woman to lead a major party in either chamber of Congress.[41] In the campaign to succeed Gephardt as theHouse Democratic Caucus's leader, Pelosi was challenged byHarold Ford Jr. andMarcy Kaptur. Kaptur withdrew her candidacy for the position before the November 15, 2002, caucus vote, and Pelosi defeated Ford 117–29 in the closed-door vote of caucus members.[42] Critics of Pelosi characterized her as too liberal to be a successful House leader.[43][44]
As minority leader, Pelosi sharply criticized the handling of the Iraq War by President Bush and his administration, in 2004 saying Bush had demonstrated areas of "incompetence".[45]
In a relative surprise, the Democratic Party lost three seats in the2004 House elections, which coincided withBush's reelection as president.[46] Focused on retaking the House majority in 2006, in her second term as minority leader Pelosi worked to criticize the Bush administration more effectively and to contrast the Democratic Party with it.[46][47] As part of this, Pelosi voiced even harsher criticism of Bush's handling of the Iraq War.[47] In November 2005, prominent congressional DemocratJohn Murtha proposed that the U.S. begin a withdrawal of troops from Iraq at the "earliest predictable date". Pelosi initially declined to commit to supporting Murtha's proposal.[48] SpeakerDennis Hastert soon brought to the floor a vote on a non-binding resolution calling for an immediate withdrawal of troops, seeking to trap Democrats into taking a more radical stance. Pelosi led Democrats in voting against the resolution, which failed in a 403–3 floor vote.[49] Roughly two weeks later, Pelosi held a press conference in which she endorsed Murtha's proposal.[50] Some critics believed that Pelosi's support for a troop withdrawal would prevent the Democrats from winning a House majority in the2006 elections.[47]
During her time as minority leader, Pelosi was not well known to much of the American public. Before the 2006 elections, Republicans made a concerted effort to taint public perception of her, running advertisements assailing her.[40] Advertisements demonizing Pelosi became a routine part of Republican advertising in subsequent elections.[51] For instance, during the 2022 election cycle, Republicans ran more than $50 million in ads that negatively characterized or invoked Pelosi, and in the 2010 cycle, they spent more than $65 million on such ads.[51][52]
In the 2006 elections, the Democrats took control of the House, picking up 30 seats,[53] the party's largest House seat gain since the1974 elections held in the wake of theWatergate scandal.[47] The party's House majority meant that as the party's incumbent House leader, Pelosi was widely expected to become speaker in the next Congress.[54][55] On November 16, 2006, the Democratic caucus unanimously nominated her for speaker.[56]
Pelosi supported her longtime friend John Murtha for House majority leader, the second-ranking post in the House. His competitor was House Minority WhipSteny Hoyer, who had been Pelosi's second-in-command since 2003.[57] Hoyer was elected House majority leader over Murtha by a margin of 149–86.[58]
On January 4, 2007, Pelosi defeated RepublicanJohn Boehner of Ohio, 233 votes to 202, in the election for speaker of the House.[59][60][61]
Pelosi (right) with Vice PresidentDick Cheney behind President George W. Bush at the2007 State of the Union Address. Pelosi became the first woman to sit behind the podium at such an address. Bush acknowledged this by beginning his speech with the words, "Tonight, I have the high privilege and distinct honor of my own as the first president to begin the State of the Union message with these words:Madam Speaker."[64]
Pelosi was the first woman, the first Californian, and the first Italian-American to hold the speakership. She was also the second speaker from a state west of theRocky Mountains. The first wasWashington'sTom Foley, the last Democrat to hold the post before Pelosi.
During her speech, she discussed the historical importance of being the first woman to hold the position of Speaker:
This is a historic moment—for the Congress, and for the women of this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200 years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters and granddaughters, today, we have broken themarble ceiling. For our daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is possible for them.[65]
She also said Iraq was the major issue facing the110th Congress while incorporating some Democratic Party beliefs:
The election of 2006 was a call to change—not merely to change the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country. Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended obligation to a war without end.[65]
As speaker, Pelosi remained the leader of the House Democrats, as the speaker is considered the leader of the majority caucus. But by tradition, she did not normally participate in debate and almost never voted on the floor, though she had the right to do so as a member of the House. She was also not a member of any House committees, also in keeping with tradition.
Pelosi was reelected speaker in 2009.
Public perception
During and after her first tenure as speaker, Pelosi was widely characterized as a polarizing political figure. Republican candidates often associated their Democratic opponents with her.[66][67] Pelosi became the focus of heavy disdain by "mainstream" Republicans andTea Party Republicans alike,[68] as well as from the left.[69]
As they had in 2006, Republicans continued to run advertisements that demonized Pelosi.[70] Before the 2010 House elections, theRepublican National Committee prominently used a "Fire Pelosi" slogan in its efforts to recapture the House majority.[71][72] This slogan was rolled out hours after the House passed thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[73] Republicans spent $65 million ahead of the 2010 elections on anti-Pelosi advertisements.[52] Pelosi has continued to be a fixture of Republican attack.[74] Ads demonizing her have been credited with fostering intense right-wing ire toward her,[75] and have been seen as one of the top factors in her unpopularity with the public.[32]
Social Security
Shortly after being reelected in 2004, President Bush claimed amandate for an ambitious second-term agenda and proposed reformingSocial Security by allowing workers to redirect a portion of their Social Security withholding into stock and bond investments.[76] Pelosi strongly opposed the plan, saying there was no crisis, and as minority leader she imposed intense party discipline on her caucus, leading them to near-unanimous opposition to the proposal, which was defeated.[77]
Blocking of impeachment proceedings against President Bush
In May 2006, with an eye on the upcoming midterm elections—which offered the possibility of Democrats taking back control of the House for the first time since 1994—Pelosi told colleagues that, while the Democrats would conduct vigorous oversight of Bush administration policy, an impeachment investigation was "off the table". A week earlier, she had toldThe Washington Post that although Democrats would not set out to impeach Bush, "you never know where" investigations might lead.[78]
After becoming speaker in 2007, Pelosi held firm against impeachment, notwithstanding strong support for it among her constituents. In the 2008 election, she withstood a challenge for her seat by antiwar activistCindy Sheehan, who ran as an independent primarily because of Pelosi's refusal to pursue impeachment.[79]
Before the midterm elections, Pelosi announced that if Democrats gained a House majority, they would push through most of their agenda during the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress.[80][81]
On January 5, 2007, reacting to suggestions from Bush's confidants that he would increase troop levels in Iraq (which he announced in a speech a few days later), Pelosi and Senate Majority LeaderHarry Reid condemned the plan. They sent Bush a letter reading:
[T]here is no purely military solution in Iraq. There is only a political solution. Adding more combat troops will only endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point for no strategic gain.... Rather than deploy additional forces to Iraq, we believe the way forward is to begin the phased redeployment of our forces in the next four to six months while shifting the principal mission of our forces there from combat to training, logistics, force protection, and counter-terror.[82]
Pelosi has been credited for spearheading Obama's health care law, theAffordable Care Act,[84] when it seemed doomed to defeat. After RepublicanScott Brown won DemocratTed Kennedy's former Senate seat in theJanuary 2010 Massachusetts special election, costing Democrats their 60-seatfilibuster-proof majority, Obama agreed with his then chief of staffRahm Emanuel's idea to do smaller initiatives that could pass easily. But Pelosi dismissed Obama's compunction, mocking his scaled-back ideas as "kiddie care".[85] After convincing him that this was their only shot at health care reform because of the large Democratic majorities in Congress, she rallied her caucus as she began an "unbelievable marathon" of a two-month session to craft the bill, which passed the House 219–212. In Obama's remarks before signing the bill into law, he called Pelosi "one of the best speakers the House of Representatives has ever had."[86][87][88][89]
Assessments of first speakership
By early 2010, analysts were assessing Pelosi as possibly the most powerful woman in U.S. history and among the most powerful speakers of the previous 100 years.[90] In March 2010,Mark Shields wrote,
In the last four months, [Pelosi] has not once, not twice but on three separate occasions done what none of her predecessors—including legendary giants [Tip O'Neill andSam Rayburn]—could ever do: persuade the House of Representatives to pass national health-care reform. Pelosi has proved herself to be the most powerful woman in U.S. political history.[91]
Later in 2010, Gail Russell Chaddock ofThe Christian Science Monitor opined that Pelosi was the "most powerful House speaker since Sam Rayburn a half century ago", adding that she had also been "one of the most partisan".[68] Scholars favorably assessed Pelosi's first speakership. In late 2010,Norman Ornstein, a congressional scholar at the conservative-leaningAmerican Enterprise Institute, opined that despite polarized public opinion of Pelosi, "she's going to rank quite high in the pantheon of modern speakers", declaring that the only speaker of the previous 100 years he would rank higher than Pelosi wasSam Rayburn.Catholic University of America political scientist Matthew Green opined that the111th Congress had "been remarkable in its productivity—in both the number of bills enacted and their scope—and Pelosi shares much of the credit."[92] Green considered Pelosi's tenure as speaker to be among the greatest in U.S. history, highlighting the passage of the Affordable Care Act ("a measure with far-reaching implications for our nation's health care policy"). He also praised Pelosi for occasionally allowing House passage of measures that had majority overall House support but were opposed by the majority of the Democratic House Caucus. He noted that she had occasionally allowed bills to move forward in such fashion despite a high level ofpolitical polarization in the United States.[93]
During Nancy Pelosi's four years as speaker of the House, Congress approved the health care overhaul—widely considered the most significant piece of domestic legislation since Medicare—along with an $800 billion measure to stimulate the economy and a multi-billion-dollar rescue of the banks. It is a legislative legacy that rivals the accomplishments of any speaker in modern times.[94]
In November 2010, after Democrats lost their House majority,Politico writer John Bresnahan called Pelosi's record as speaker "mixed". He opined that Pelosi had been a powerful speaker, describing her as wielding "an iron fist in a Gucci glove" and having held "enormous power within the House Democratic Caucus", but noting that she had a "horrible approval rating with the rest of America". Bresnahan wrote that Pelosi's leadership and the legislative agenda she advanced had significantly contributed to the party's loss of its House majority, citing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as an example of legislation that hurt the Democrats electorally in 2010. Bresnahan also believed that, ahead of the 2010 elections, Pelosi had "disastrously" misread public opinion, and that Pelosi had been a poor orator.[95]
Thomas Mann of theBrookings Institution opined in 2018 that Pelosi had been the "strongest and most effective speaker of modern times" during her first speakership.[96]
During Nancy Pelosi’s four years as speaker, there was no confusion as to who was in control. Pelosi used the tools at her disposal—committee assignments, campaign donations—to establish a balance among her party’s coalitions while also reminding everyone that her job was not simply to officiate and appease...But asNewt Gingrich learned the hard way two decades ago, an autocratic speaker is a short-lived one. Pelosi’s reign was successful because she understood the will of her caucus rather than bending it to hers.[32]
Draper also wrote that "for all her mastery of Washington's inside game, Pelosi has never been a deft public-facing politician," and called her a poor orator.[32]
Second tenure as minority leader (2011–2019)
PresidentBarack Obama meets with Congressional Leadership, July 2011.
112th and 113th Congress
Though Pelosi was reelected by a comfortable margin in the2010 elections, the Democrats lost 63 seats and control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans. After this setback, Pelosi sought to continue leading the House Democratic Caucus as minority leader, the office she held before becoming speaker. Intraparty opposition failed to pass a motion to delay the leadership vote,[97] though she faced a challenge from RepresentativeHeath Shuler. Shuler lost to Pelosi, 150–43, in the caucus vote on November 17, 2010.[98] On the opening day of the112th Congress, Pelosi was elected minority leader.[99]
In November 2011,60 Minutes alleged that Pelosi and several other members of Congress had used information they gleaned from closed sessions to make money on the stock market. The program cited her purchases ofVisa Inc. stock while a bill that would limit credit card fees was in the House. Pelosi denied the allegations and called the report "a right-wing smear".[100][101][102] When the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act (orSTOCK Act) was introduced the next year, she voted for it and lauded its passing. Of representativesLouise Slaughter andTim Walz, who drafted the bill, Pelosi said they "shined a light on a gaping hole in our ethics laws and helped close it once and for all".[103][104]
On November 14, 2012, Pelosi announced that she intended to remain Democratic leader.[105]
In August 2016, Pelosi said that her personal contact information had been posted online following a cyberattack against top Democratic campaign committees and she had received "obscene and sick calls, voice mails and text messages". She warned members of Congress to avoid letting children or family members answer phone calls or read text messages.[108]
At times, centrists,progressive candidates and incumbent Democrats all expressed opposition to Pelosi's continued tenure as the party's House leader.[109]
Prompted by colleagues after the2016 presidential election,Tim Ryan of Ohio initiated a bid to replace Pelosi as House minority leader on November 17, 2016.[110] After Pelosi agreed to give more leadership opportunities to junior members,[111] she defeated Ryan by a vote of 134–63 on November 30.[112]
In 2017, after Democrats lost four consecutive special elections in the House of Representatives, Pelosi's leadership was again called into question. In June 2017, RepresentativeKathleen Rice of New York and a small group of other House Democrats, includingCongressional Black Caucus chairmanCedric Richmond, held a closed-door meeting to discuss potential new Democratic leadership.[113] Other House Democrats, including Ryan,Seth Moulton, andFilemon Vela, publicly called for new House leadership.[114] In an interview, Rice said, "If you were talking about a company that was posting losing numbers, if you were talking about any sports team that was losing time and time again, changes would be made, right? The CEO out. The coach would be out and there would be a new strategy put in place."[114] In a press conference, Pelosi defended her leadership, saying, "I respect any opinion that my members have but my decision about how long I stay is not up to them."[114] When asked specifically why she should stay on as House minority leader after numerous Democratic seats were lost, she responded, "Well, I'm a master legislator. I am a strategic, politically astute leader. My leadership is recognized by many around the country, and that is why I'm able to attract the support that I do."[115]
In November 2017, after Pelosi called forJohn Conyers's resignation over allegations of harassment, she convened the first in a series of planned meetings on strategies to address reforming workplace policies in the wake of national attention to sexual harassment. She said Congress had "a moral duty to the brave women and men coming forward to seize this moment and demonstrate real, effective leadership to foster a climate of respect and dignity in the workplace".[116]
In February 2018, Pelosi sent a letter to SpeakerPaul Ryan about the proposed public release of a memo prepared by Republican staff at the direction of House Intelligence Committee ChairmanDevin Nunes. The memo attacked theFederal Bureau of Investigation for its investigation ofRussian interference in the 2016 United States elections. Pelosi said the FBI and the Department of Justice had warned Nunes and Ryan that the memo was inaccurate and that its release could threaten national security by disclosing federal surveillance methods. She added that Republicans were engaged in a "cover-up campaign" to protect Trump: "House Republicans' pattern of obstruction and cover-up to hide the truth about the Trump-Russia scandal represents a threat to our intelligence and our national security. The GOP has led a partisan effort to distort intelligence and discredit the U.S. law enforcement and intelligence communities."[117] She charged Nunes with "deliberately dishonest actions" and called for his immediate removal from his position.[118]
In February 2018, Pelosi broke the record for longest House speech using the "magic minute" custom when she spent more than eight hours recounting stories fromDREAMers—people brought to the United States as minors by undocumented immigrants—to object to a budget deal that would raise spending caps without addressing the future ofDACA recipients, who were at risk of deportation by the Trump administration.[119][120][121]
In May 2018, after the White House invited two Republicans and no Democrats to a Department of Justice briefing on an FBI informant who had made contact with the Trump campaign,[122] Pelosi and Schumer sent a letter to Deputy Attorney GeneralRod Rosenstein and FBI director Wray calling for "a bipartisan Gang of Eight briefing that involves congressional leadership from both chambers".[123]
In August 2018, Pelosi called forDuncan D. Hunter's resignation after his indictment on charges of misusing at least $250,000 in campaign funds, saying the charges were "evidence of the rampant culture of corruption among Republicans in Washington today".[124]
In April 2018,Peter Beinart wrote inThe Atlantic that Pelosi had been "the most effective congressional leader of modern times—and, not coincidentally, the most vilified."[96]
Second speakership (2019–2023)
Official painting, 2022
In the2018 elections, the Democrats recaptured a House majority, gaining 41 seats. This was the party's largest gain in the House since the 1974 post-Watergate elections.[125][126] On November 28, House Democrats nominated Pelosi to once again serve as speaker.[127] She wasreelected to the speakership at the start of the116th Congress on January 3, 2019. Pelosi "clinched the speakership after weeks of whittling down opposition from some fellow Democrats seeking a new generation of leadership. The deal to win over holdouts put an expiration date on her tenure: she promised not to stay more than four years in the job". 220 House Democrats voted for Pelosi as Speaker and 15 for someone else or no one.[128]
On February 4, 2020, at the conclusion of Trump'sState of the Union address, Pelosi tore up her official copy of it.[129] Her stated reason for doing so was "because it was a courteous thing to do considering the alternatives. It was a such a dirty speech".[130] Trump and other Republicans criticized her for this.[131][132]
In December 2021, Pelosi announced her candidacy for reelection to the House in2022.[133] In 2018, and again in 2020, she had agreed not to stay on as speaker beyond January 2023, but otherwise avoided questions about her future.[134] In 2022, Pelosi was reelected, but the Democratic Party lost the House majority.[135] Ten days later, she announced that she would not seek a Democratic leadership post in the next Congress.[136][137]
PresidentDonald Trump meets with Pelosi and Senate Minority LeaderChuck Schumer on December 11, 2018, saying "I will be the one to shut it down."
At the start of the 116th Congress, Pelosi opposed Trump's attempts to use the2018–2019 federal government shutdown (which she called a "hostage-taking" of civil servants) as leverage to build a substantial wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.[138] She declined to allow Trump to give theState of the Union Address in the House chamber while the shutdown was ongoing.[139][140] After several polls showed Trump's popularity sharply falling due to the shutdown, on January 25, 2019, Trump signed a stopgap bill to reopen the government without any concessions regarding a border wall for three weeks to allow negotiations on an appropriations bill. But he reiterated his demand for border wall funding and said he would shut the government down again or declare a national emergency and use military funding to build the wall if Congress did not appropriate the funds by February 15.[141]
On February 15, Trump declared a national emergency in order to bypass Congress, after being unsatisfied with a bipartisan bill that had passed the House and Senate the day before.[142]
On September 29, 2019, Pelosi announced the launch ofan impeachment inquiry against Trump.[143] On December 5, 2019, after the inquiry had taken place, Pelosi authorized the Judiciary Committee to begin drafting articles of impeachment.[144] After hearings were held,[145] two articles of impeachment were announced on December 10.[146] The House of Representatives approved both articles on December 18, thereby formally impeaching Trump.[147]
Pelosi signs the article of impeachment for the second impeachment of Donald Trump on January 13, 2021.
During theJanuary 6 United States Capitol attack, Pelosi's laptop andgavel werestolen from her office. They have not been recovered.[148] The day after the attack, Pelosi demanded that Trump either resign or be removed from office through the clauses of section four theTwenty-Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, threatening impeachment if this did not happen.[149] On January 10, she told Vice PresidentMike Pence that if he did not invoke the 25th amendment within 24 hours, she would proceed with legislation to impeach Trump.[150] On January 13, the House voted to impeach Trump a second time.[151]
Pelosi facilitated passage of theCARES Act.[152] She attracted controversy when footage emerged in early September 2020 of her visiting a hair salon in San Francisco. This was contrary to regulations enforced at that time preventing service indoors.[153] Criticized for hypocrisy by Trump and the owners of the salon, Pelosi described the situation as "clearly a setup". Her stylist and other Democrats defended her.[154]
The New York Times credited the legislation's passage to Pelosi's decision to adopt a Congressional Black Caucus proposal to pair together the final vote on the bill with a good-faith vote on the rules governing debate on a subsequent social safety net bill. The Times noted that Pelosi did not make herself the public face of this, instead having Congressional Black Caucus ChairwomanJoyce Beatty persuade House Democratic Caucus members to accept the proposal. TheNew York Times wrote, "in effect, the speaker had harnessed one faction of her unruly Democrats to win over two others."[155]Chris Cillizza ofCNN wrote:
Consider the challenge Pelosi faced with this infrastructure bill—starting with the fact that she had only a three-seat majority, meaning that even a handful of renegade Democrats could scuttle the entire thing. Then add in the total lack of trust not only between House liberals and Senate moderates but also the decided lack of trust between House liberals and House moderates. And sprinkle in the fact that the entire bill had been at an impasse for months as both sides of the party wrangled for leverage on the broader $1.75 trillion social safety net legislation.[155]
As with her first tenure, experts gave Pelosi's second tenure as speaker high marks, with many opining that during her two tenures as speaker she had been among the most effective individuals to hold the position.
In June 2019,Brent Budowsky opined inThe Hill that Pelosi had been "the most important, consequential and effective Speaker since Tip O'Neill" as well as "one of the greatest Speakers who ever served."[157] In January 2020, on the eve of Trump'sfirst impeachment trial before the U.S. Senate,Washington Post political writer Paul Kane called Pelosi the most powerful House speaker in at least 25 years, noting that some historians were comparing her influence to that of former speaker Sam Rayburn.[158] In 2021, former Republican speaker John Boehner opined that Pelosi had been the most powerful House speaker in U.S. history.[159]
In November 2022,Chris Cillizza wrote that Pelosi was "the most effective speaker ever."[155] Johnathan Bernstein opined forThe Washington Post andBloomberg News that Pelosi was "the greatest speaker in history."[160] Jackie Calmes of theLos Angeles Times shared the same opinion.[161] Sarah Ferris ofPolitico called Pelosi "a legislative giant regarded as one of the most powerful speakers in modern U.S. history."[162] Historian Lindsay M. Chervinsky wrote forNBC News that Pelosi was "one of the most effective speakers in history" and had been so while facing "the double standards that apply to powerful women."[156]
John Haduk wrote for the Brookings Institution:
Whether you agree with her politics or not, it is undeniable that [Pelosi] has been a remarkably effective House leader. That success has come as both House Minority Leader and as Speaker of the House. As Speaker, she has worked with a majority as large as 81 seats in November and December 2009 (258–177) and one as small as 6 seats from April to May 2021 (218–212).[163]
A number of progressive and liberal-leaning outlets published strong assessments of Pelosi's tenure. Harold Meyerson opined that Pelosi had been the greatest speaker in U.S. history in an article inThe American Prospect.[164] Amanda Marcotte ofSalon.com opined that Pelosi was the greatest speaker of all time, calling her "both the most effective and most progressive House speaker of all time." Marcotte added that Pelosi had been effective "both in terms of managing an unruly caucus and being able to push her party in more progressive directions."[165]
Post-Democratic leadership (2023–present)
On November 29, 2022, theSteering and Policy Committee of the House Democratic Caucus honorarily named Pelosi "speaker emerita" in the upcoming118th U.S. Congress.[166][167] Her second speakership, and her participation in the House Democratic Party leadership, concluded on January 3, 2023, at the end of the117th Congress.[168]
Amid concerns about President Biden's reelection prospects in the2024 presidential election, Pelosi and other Democratic officials[169][170][171] urged himto withdraw hiscandidacy beforethe party's National Convention.[172] She feared that his faltering candidacy might not only result in Trump's victory but also have acoattail effect that could bring Democrats defeat in the coinciding House and Senate elections, producing a Republicangovernment trifecta. On July 10, Pelosi said the party encouraged Biden to make the decision because time was running out.[173] He withdrew from the race on July 21 and endorsed Vice PresidentKamala Harris as the party's presidential nominee.[174] Before Biden withdrew, Pelosi had told other California congressional Democrats that she believed a competitive "open process" should determine the new Democratic candidate.[175] She endorsed Harris within one day.[176] Although Harris did not win any primary elections, Pelosi insisted that the process that led to Harris's nomination was a "primary": "We had an open primary, and she won it. Nobody else got in the race."[177] After Harris lost to Trump, Pelosi blamed Biden's late exit from the race and the lack of an open Democratic primary.[178]
Pelosi was a founding member of theCongressional Progressive Caucus, which she left in 2003 after being elected House minority leader.[181] She is still widely considered a liberal.[182][183]
In June 2018, Pelosi visited a federal facility used to detain migrant children separated from their parents and subsequently called for the resignation of Department of Homeland Security SecretaryKirstjen Nielsen.[187] In July, Pelosi characterized the compromise immigration bill by the Republicans as a "deal with the devil" and said she had not had conversations with House Speaker Ryan about a legislative solution to the separation of families at the southern border.[188]
In April 2021, after southern border crossings peaked, House Republicans criticized Pelosi for saying that immigration under the Biden administration was "on a good path". U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that nearly 19,000 unaccompanied minors arrived in March.[189]
In 2012, Pelosi said her position on LGBT rights such as same-sex marriage grows from and reflects herCatholic faith; it also places her at odds withCatholic doctrine, which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman. She said: "My religion compels me—and I love it for it—to be against discrimination of any kind in our country, and I consider [the ban on gay marriage] a form of discrimination. I think it's unconstitutional on top of that."[195]
As of 2014, Pelosi supported the Bush/Obama NSA surveillance programPRISM.[199]
Removal from the Capitol of art depicting Confederates
Capitol workers remove the portrait of former House SpeakerHowell Cobb of Georgia from a wall in the Speakers Lobby of the U.S. Capitol.
Pelosi repeatedly criticized the fact that theUnited States Capitol exhibited artworks depicting people who in various capacities supported theConfederacy in theAmerican Civil War.[200][201][202] In 2017, this included at least 10 statues in theNational Statuary Hall Collection, either in theNational Statuary Hall itself or some less prominent Capitol rooms.[201] Almost all the statues in that collection were selected and donated by the states (two from each state) and could only be exchanged for others by an ordered process involving the consent of the states' legislatures and governors, but the speaker of the House directly could influence their precise placement.
In June 2020, following thenationwide protests over themurder of George Floyd, Pelosi pushed for the removal of all statues of Confederates from the Capitol. On June 18, Pelosi also ordered that four paintings of former Confederates in the Capitol Speaker's Gallery be taken down.[202] "We didn't know about this until we were taking inventory of the statues and the curator told us that there were four paintings of Speakers in the Capitol of the United States, four Speakers who had served in the Confederacy", Pelosi told reporters.[202]
Waterboarding
In 2002, while Pelosi was theranking member of theHouse Intelligence Committee, she was briefed on the ongoing use of "enhanced interrogation techniques", includingwaterboarding, authorized for a captured terrorist,Abu Zubaydah.[203][204][205] After the briefing, Pelosi said she "was assured by lawyers with the CIA and the Department of Justice that the methods were legal".[206] Two unnamed formerBush administration officials say the briefing was detailed and graphic, and at the time she did not raise substantial objections.[207] One unnamed U.S. official present during the early briefings said, "In fairness, the environment was different then because we were closer toSeptember 11 and people were still in a panic. But there was no objecting, no hand-wringing. The attitude was, 'We don't care what you do to those guys as long as you get the information you need to protect the American people.'"[208]
These techniques later became controversial, and in 2007 Pelosi's office said she had protested their use at the time, and she concurred with objections raised by Democratic colleagueJane Harman in a letter to theCIA in early 2003.[209] Subsequently, several leading Democratic lawmakers in the House signed a letter on June 26, 2009, allegingCIA DirectorLeon Panetta had asserted that the CIA misled Congress for a "number of years" spanning back to 2001, casting clouds on the controversy.[210] The letter, lawmakers and the CIA all providing no details, and the circumstances surrounding the allegations, make it hard to assess the claims and counterclaims of both sides.[211]
Officials in Congress say her ability to challenge the practices may have been hampered by strict rules of secrecy that prohibited her from taking notes or consulting legal experts or members of her own staffs.[212] In an April 2009 press conference, Pelosi said: "In that or any other briefing... we were not, and I repeat, were not told that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation techniques were used. What they did tell us is that they had some legislative counsel—theOffice of Legislative Counsel opinions that they could be used, but not that they would. And they further [...] the point was that if and when they would be used, they would brief Congress at that time."[203][213]
Economy
Fiscal policy
Pelosi at theTax March in San Francisco, April 2017
As Speaker of the House, she spearheaded theFair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 as part of the100-Hour Plan. The act raises theminimum wage in the United States and the territories of theNorthern Marianas Islands andAmerican Samoa. American Samoa was initially absent from the act, but it was included as part ofHR 2206. One Republican congressman who voted against the initial bill accused Pelosi of unethically benefitingDel Monte Foods (headquartered in her district) by excluding the territory, where Del Monte'sStarKist Tuna brand is a major employer.[215] Pelosi co-sponsored legislation that omitted American Samoa from a raise in the minimum wage as early as 1999, before Del Monte's acquisition of StarKist Tuna in 2002.[216]
Pelosi opposed thewelfare reform President Bush proposed as well as reforms proposed and passed under President Clinton.[217] She also opposed thetax reform signed by Trump in December 2017, calling it "probably one of the worst bills in the history of the United States of America... It robs from the future [and] it rewards the rich... and corporations at the expense of tens of millions of working middle-class families in our country."[218] She said "this is Armageddon" and argued that the tax bill increased the debt in a way that would adversely impact social insurance spending.[219] In January 2018, shortly after the tax bill passed, a reporter asked Pelosi to respond to statements by companies crediting the tax cuts with allowing them to raise wages and give bonuses. She said that, given the benefits corporations received from the tax bill, the benefits workers got were "crumbs".[220][221] Most companies that awarded bonuses gave out payments of hundreds of dollars, while some gave bonuses significantly over $1,000.[222]
Infrastructure
In November 2018, Pelosi said she had spoken with Trump about infrastructure development. Though he "really didn't come through with it in his first two years in office" while it was a topic during his campaign, the subject had not been a partisan matter in Congress. She mentioned potential bipartisan legislative initiatives that would "create good paying jobs and will also generate other economic growth in their regions".[223] On May 1, 2019, Pelosi and Schumer met with Trump about infrastructure funding.[224] In late May, a meeting to discuss an impending $2trillion infrastructure plan was cut short when Trump abruptly left after only a few minutes.[225]
Disaster relief
In August 2018, after Trump signed an emergency declaration for federal aid in combating theCarr Fire inNorthern California, Pelosi called the move "an important first step" but requested that Trump accede to California GovernorJerry Brown's request for further aid to other hard-hit areas in California. She called on the Trump administration to take "real, urgent action to combat the threat of theclimate crisis, which is making the wildfire season longer, more expensive and more destructive".[226]
Education
In 1999, Pelosi voted against displaying theTen Commandments in public buildings, including schools.[227] She voted for theNo Child Left Behind Act,[228] which instituted testing to track students' progress and authorized an increase in overall education spending.[229][230]
In 2019, Pelosi said climate change was "the existential threat of our time" and called for action to curb it.[231] She has supported the development of new technologies to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil and remediate the adverse environmental effects of burning fossil fuels.[232] Pelosi has widely supported conservation programs and energy research appropriations. She has also voted to remove an amendment that would allow for oil and gas exploration in theArctic National Wildlife Refuge.[233][234]
Pelosi has blocked efforts to revive offshore oil drilling in protected areas, reasoning thatoffshore drilling could lead to an increase in dependence on fossil fuels.[235]
Health care
Affordable Care Act
Pelosi was instrumental in passing thePatient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010.[236] She was a key figure in convincing Obama to continue pushing for health-care reform after the election ofMassachusettsSenatorScott Brown in a Januaryspecial election—a defeat seen as potentially fatal to Democratic reform efforts.[87] After delivering 219 votes in the House for Obama's health-care package, Pelosi was both praised and heckled as she made her way to Capitol Hill.[237][89]
On March 10, 2017, Pelosi said Democrats would continue battling Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but would also be willing to form a compromise measure if Republicans reached out for support. She indicated her support for the Republican plan to expand Health Savings Accounts and said the question of Republicans' accepting an expansion of Medicaid was important.[241] In September, Pelosi sent a letter to Democrats praising SenatorJohn McCain for announcing his opposition to the latest Republican effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and called on lawmakers and advocacy groups alike to pressure Republicans in the health-care discussion. She said Democrats would be unified in putting "a stake in the heart of this monstrous bill".[242]
In July 2018, during a speech at Independence First, Pelosi said Democrats' goal "has always been to expand coverage and to do so in a way that improves benefits... and we have to address the affordability issue that is so undermined by the Republicans."[243] In November 2018, after Democrats gained a majority in the House in the midterm elections, she said, "I'm staying as Speaker to protect the Affordable Care Act. That's my main issue, because I think that's, again, about the health and financial health of the America's families, and if Hillary had won, I could go home." She added that Republicans had misrepresented their earlier position of opposition to covering people with preexisting conditions during the election cycle and called on them to join Democrats in "removing all doubt that the preexisting medical condition is the law—the benefit—is the law of the land".[244]
Abortion
Pelosi voted against thePartial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 and earlier attempts at similar bans, and voted against the criminalization of certain situations where a minor is transported across state lines for an abortion (HR 748, passed).[245]
She has voted in favor of lifting the ban on privately funded abortions at overseas U.S. military facilities (HA 209, rejected); in favor of an amendment that would repeal a provision forbidding servicewomen and dependents from getting an abortion in overseas military hospitals (HA 722, rejected); and in favor of stripping the prohibition of funding for organizations working overseas that use their own funds to provide abortion services, or engage in advocacy related to abortion services (HA 997, rejected). She also voted in favor of the 1998 Abortion Funding Amendment, which would have allowed the use of district funds to promote abortion-related activities, but would have prohibited the use of federal funds.[245]
In 2008, she was rebuked by ArchbishopDonald Wuerl ofWashington, D.C., for being "incorrect" in comments she made toTom Brokaw onMeet the Press concerningChurch teaching on the subjects of abortion of when a human life begins. The archbishop's statement quoted Pelosi as saying the church has not been able to define when life begins. During the interview she said, "over the history of the church, this [what constitutes the moment of conception] is an issue of controversy."[246] In February 2009, Pelosi met with herbishop, ArchbishopGeorge Hugh Niederauer ofSan Francisco, and withPope Benedict XVI regarding the controversy.
In a January 25, 2009, interview withGeorge Stephanopoulos forABC News, Pelosi said that one of the reasons she supportedfamily planning services was that they would "reduce costs to states and to the federal government."[248]
Security
Gun laws
Nancy Pelosi embracing rapperCommon at 2019 End Gun Violence, September 27, 2019
Pelosi is in favor of increased background checks for potential gun owners, as well as thebanning ofassault weapons. In February 2013, she called for the "Boldest possible move" on gun control, similar to a stance made just weeks earlier by former Representative, mass shooting victim, and fellow gun control advocateGabby Giffords.[249] In 2012, she was given a 0% rating byGun Owners of America and a 7% rating from theNational Rifle Association of America for her stances on gun control.[250]
In February 2018, following theStoneman Douglas High School shooting, Pelosi said Republicans' "cowering" to the gun lobby was "an assault on our whole country" and that the victims were "paying the price for our inaction".[251] She requested House Speaker Ryan and Republicans take action via consideration of legislation expanding background checks or authorizing researchers to use federal dollars to examine public health as it relates to gun violence. Pelosi also advocated for the creation of a special committee on gun violence and said Republicans had previously created committees to investigatePlanned Parenthood and the2012 Benghazi attack.[251]
In November 2018, after theThousand Oaks shooting, Pelosi released a statement saying Americans "deserve real action to end the daily epidemic of gun violence that is stealing the lives of our children on campuses, in places of worship and on our streets" and pledged that gun control would be a priority for House Democrats in the 116th United States Congress.[252]
With regard to RepresentativeCharles Rangel's (D-NY) plan to introduce legislation that would reinstate the draft, Pelosi said she did not support it.[253]
Use of government aircraft
In March 2009, conservative watchdog groupJudicial Watch had obtained emails sent by Pelosi's staff requesting theUnited States Air Force (USAF) to provide specific aircraft—aBoeing 757—for Pelosi to use for taxpayer-funded travel.[254] Pelosi responded that the policy was initiated by President Bush due to post-9/11 security concerns (Pelosi was third in line forpresidential succession), and was initially provided for the previous SpeakerDennis Hastert. TheSergeant at Arms requested—for security reasons—that the plane provided be capable of non-stop flight, requiring a larger aircraft. The Pentagon said "no one has rendered judgment" that Pelosi's use of aircraft "is excessive".[255]
First Trump presidency
President-electDonald Trump with Pelosi in January 2017
During a news conference on June 9, 2017, after a reporter asked her abouttweets by President Donald Trump lambasting former FBI directorJames Comey following Comey's testimony to the Senate Intelligence Committee, Pelosi said no one at the White House seemed courageous enough to tell Trump his tweets were beneath the dignity of the presidency and that she was worried about his fitness for office.[257] In November, when asked about Democrats beginning the impeachment process against Trump in the event they won a majority of seats in the 2018 elections, Pelosi said it would not be one of their legislative priorities but that the option could be considered if credible evidence appeared during the ongoing investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election.[258]
In January 2018, Pelosi referred to Trump's2018 State of the Union Address as a performance without serious policy ideas the parties could collaborate on. She questioned Trump's refusal to implement Russian sanctionsafter more than 500 members of Congress voted to approve them.[259] In February, after Trump blocked the release of a Democratic memo by the Intelligence Committee, Pelosi said the act was "a stunningly brazen attempt to cover up the truth about the Trump-Russia scandal from the American people" and "part of a dangerous and desperate pattern of cover-up on the part of the president who has shown he had something to hide."[260] In March, Pelosi said she was "more concerned about the president's policies which undermine the financial security of America's working families" than theStormy Daniels–Donald Trump scandal. Pelosi did note the scandal as having highlighted a double standard of Republicans on issues of family values and expectations of presidential behavior, saying the party would be very involved if the event was happening to a Democrat.[261] In April, followingScooter Libby being pardoned by Trump, Pelosi released a statement saying the pardon "sends a troubling signal to the president's allies that obstructing justice will be rewarded and that the idea of those who lie under oath being granted a pardon "poses a threat to the integrity of the special counsel investigation, and to our democracy".[262] On August 15, after Trump revoked the security clearance of former CIA directorJohn Brennan, Pelosi said the move was "a stunning abuse of power [and] a pathetic attempt to silence critics", and an attempt by Trump to distract attention from other issues of his administration.[263] Pelosi andCharles E. Schumer met with Trump and Pence in December 2018 to discuss changes to be made when the new Democratic representatives takes office in 2019.[264] In January 2019 she supported President Trump in his decision to back the leader of the oppositionJuan Guaidó duringVenezuelan protests and constitutional crisis.[265]
The Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives in the November 2018 elections, and Pelosi took office as Speaker. Multiple House committees launched investigations into various actions by Trump and some of his cabinet members and requested or subpoenaed documents and information from the White House and the administration.[266] In April 2019, Trump vowed to defy "all" subpoenas from the House and to refuse to allow current or former administration officials to testify before House committees.[267]
Pelosi initially resisted efforts by some fellow House Democrats to pursue Trump's impeachment,[268][269] but in September 2019, following revelations of theTrump–Ukraine scandal, announced the beginning of a formalHouse impeachment inquiry, saying "The actions taken to date by the president have seriously violated the Constitution" and that Trump "must be held accountable—no one is above the law."[270] Privately, Pelosi expressed concern that focusing on impeachment would imperil the Democrats' House majority; she preferred to focus on other legislation.[271]
In May 2019, theWhite House intervened to halt formerWhite House CounselDon McGahn from complying with asubpoena issued by theHouse Judiciary Committee, instructing the committee to redirect its records requests to the White House. Pelosi, who had previously urged "Democrats to focus on fact-finding rather than the prospect of any impeachment",[272][273] described Trump's interference regarding McGahn's records as anobstruction of justice, saying that "Trump is goading us to impeach him."[274][275] Later that month, as the Trump administration continued to ignore subpoenas, refuse to release documents, and encourage or order current and former officials not to testify in Congress, Pelosi declared: "we believe that the president of the United States is engaged in a cover-up."[276] Later that day, after learning of Pelosi's comments, Trump walked away from a scheduled White House meeting with Pelosi and Schumer, in which a $2trillion infrastructure plan was supposed to be discussed. Trump told Pelosi and Schumer he could not work with them until they stopped investigating him. Later in the day, Pelosi accused Trump of "obstructing justice" and again said he "is engaged in a cover-up".[277] On June 5, 2019, during a meeting with senior Democrats about whether the House should launch impeachment proceeding against Trump, Pelosi said, "I don't want to see him impeached, I want to see him in prison." According to multiple sources, rather than impeachment, she wanted to see Trump lose to a Democrat in the 2020 election, following which he could be prosecuted.[278] Eventually, under pressure from an alliance of left-wing Representatives led by Chair of theHouse Judiciary CommitteeJerry Nadler, Pelosi backed an impeachment inquiry.[271]
The House impeachment inquiry focused on efforts by Trump and Trump administration officials to pressure the government of Ukraine to smear former Vice PresidentJoe Biden, a political rival of Trump's, while withholding $400million in U.S. military aid, and a White House visit, from Ukraine; the inquiry also examined Trump's request in a July 2019 phone call to Ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelensky to "do us a favor" and investigate Biden.[279] On December 18, 2019, the House voted nearly along party lines to impeach Trump forabuse of power (230–197) and obstruction of Congress (229–198), making him the third president in U.S. history to be impeached. Pelosi said, when opening debate on thearticles of impeachment, "If we do not act now, we would be derelict in our duty. It is tragic that the president's reckless actions make impeachment necessary. He gave us no choice."[279] Pelosi initially did not transmit the articles of impeachment to the Republican-controlled Senate fortrial, seeking to negotiate an agreement with Senate MajorityMitch McConnell for the Senate to hear witness testimony and other additional evidence as part of a bid for a "full and fair" trial. McConnell rejected these efforts, and the House transmitted the articles to the Senate on January 15, 2020, with Pelosi naming seven Democratic Representatives, led by RepresentativeAdam Schiff, as the House managers to argue the impeachment case against Trump in the Senate.[280][281] As expected, the Senate ultimately acquitted Trump in a nearly-party line vote in which every Democrat voted for conviction and all but one Republican, SenatorMitt Romney, voting for acquittal.[282] Ahead of the Senate vote Pelosi said that, irrespective of the outcome, the president "has been impeached forever", that the impeachment process had successfully "pulled back a veil of behavior totally unacceptable toour founders, and that the public will see this with a clearer eye, an unblurred eye."[283] Following the Senate vote, Pelosi criticized Trump and Senate Republicans, saying their actions had "normalized lawlessness and rejected the system ofchecks and balances".[284][285]
Following the Senate vote, Trump claimed vindication and criticized Democrats, the FBI, and Pelosi. In a speech at theNational Prayer Breakfast, Trump referred to Pelosi as "a horrible person", and questioned her religious faith; Pelosi said these remarks were "particularly without class".[286] Before Trump's February 4,2020 State of the Union Address, the day before the Senate impeachment vote, Trump and Pelosi exchanged mutual snubs.[287][288] Trump refused to shake Pelosi's outstretched hand, and Pelosi tore up her copy of Trump's speech.[287][288] Her stated reason for doing so was "because it was a courteous thing to do considering the alternatives. It was a such a dirty speech."[289] Pelosi also said Trump's speech "had no contact with reality whatsoever"[290] and suggested the president appeared "a little sedated" during the address.[286] Pelosi's action was criticized by Trump and others.[291][292]
Days after the Senate impeachment vote, Trump fired two officials who had testified against him during the impeachment inquiry:U.S. Ambassador to the European UnionGordon Sondland andLieutenant ColonelAlexander Vindman, aNational Security Council official. Pelosi called the firing of Vindman a "shameful" and "clear and brazen act of retaliation that showcases the President's fear of the truth", saying that "History will remember Lieutenant Colonel Vindman as an American hero."[293]
Commission to consider use of 25th Amendment
On October 8, 2020, Pelosi announced that legislation was being introduced in the House of Representatives to advance the creation of a commission to allow the use of the25th Amendment to the Constitution to intervene and remove Trump from executive duties.[294]
Biden presidency
As of October 2022, Pelosi had voted in line withJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.[295]
After the1989 Tiananmen Square protests, Pelosi sought to take a harsher position toward China than President George H.W. Bush.[296]: 210 With the support of Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, she took a lead role for the Democrats in criticizing Bush's China policy.[296]: 210 Pelosi's view was that Congress should oppose the annual presidential waiver for China under theJackson-Vanik Amendment, an amendment to theTrade Act of 1974 that required the president to inform Congress if he intended to waive the Act to have amost favored nation trading relationship with a non-market economy.[296]: 211 Pelosi said that ifChina's economy suffered, Chinese people would be unhappy with their government and this would serve to advancedemocracy in China.[296]: 223
As part of a Congressional delegation, Pelosi unfurled a banner in the square in 1991, provoking a confrontation with Chinese police.[297] She advocated for Chinese political prisoners and dissidents to be able to come to the U.S.[297] In 1999, ahead of Chinese PremierZhu Rongji's visit to the U.S. for talks overWorld Trade Organization admission for China, Pelosi called on President Clinton and Vice President Gore to ask Zhu to recognize the 1989 protests as a pro-democracy effort.[298]
Before the Trump administration took concretemeasures against China in late March 2018, Pelosi and other Democratic leaders pressed Trump to focus more on China and impose real punishments, such as fulfilling his own campaign commitments to name China a currency manipulator and stop China from pressuring U.S. tech companies into giving upintellectual property rights. Pelosi urged Trump to take a strong stand against unfair market barriers in China.[303][304][305][306]
On the eve of the2022 Winter Olympics inBeijing, Pelosi advisedAmerican athletes competing: "I would say to our athletes, 'You're there to compete. Do not risk incurring the anger of the Chinese government, because they are ruthless'".[308]
On August 2, 2022, Pelosi became the highest-ranking U.S. government official tovisit Taiwan in 25 years.[309][310][311] PresidentJoe Biden discouraged but did not prevent Pelosi from traveling to Taiwan, and the White House later affirmed her right to visit.[312][313][314] Senate Minority LeaderMitch McConnell and 25 Senate Republicans backed Pelosi's decision to visit,[315] issuing a joint statement that also supported the trip.[316] Her trip triggered a new round of hostilities in the already tense relationship between the U.S. and China.[317] During and after her visit, China undertook a series of retaliatory measures against Taiwan and the United States. Pelosi said her visit was a sign of the U.S. Congress's commitment to Taiwan.[317] During her visit, she met with Taiwanese PresidentTsai Ing-Wen and called Taiwan one of the "freest societies in the world".[318] On August 5, 2022, the Chinese government sanctioned Pelosi for "seriously interfering in China's internal affairs, undermining China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, trampling on the one-China policy, and threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait".[319]
Colombia
Pelosi publicly scolded Colombian presidentÁlvaro Uribe during Uribe's May 2007 state visit to America. Pelosi met with Uribe and later released a statement that she and other members of Congress had "expressed growing concerns about the serious allegations" of links between paramilitary groups and Colombian government officials.[320] Pelosi also came out against theColombian free-trade agreement.[321]
In 2008, Pelosi said: "For years, I have opposed theembargo on Cuba. I don't think it's been successful, and I think we have to remove the travel bans and have more exchanges—people to people exchanges with Cuba."[322] In 2015, Pelosi supported President Obama'sCuban Thaw, a rapprochement between the U.S. andCastro's regime in Cuba, and visitedHavana for meetings with high-level officials.[323]
In an interview on February 15, 2007, Pelosi said that Bush consistently said he supports a diplomatic resolution to differences withIran "and I take him at his word". At the same time, she said, "I do believe that Congress should assert itself, though, and make it very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any president, to go into Iran".[325] On January 12, 2007, CongressmanWalter B. Jones ofNorth Carolina introduced a resolution[326] requiring that—absent a national emergency created by an attack, or a demonstrably imminent attack, by Iran upon the United States or its armed forces—the president must consult with Congress and receive specific authorization prior to initiating any use of military force against Iran.[327] This resolution was removed from a military spending bill for the war in Iraq by Pelosi on March 13, 2007.
In July 2015, Pelosi said she was convinced Obama would have enough votes to secure theIran nuclear deal, crediting the president with having made a "very strong and forceful presentation of his case supporting the nuclear agreement with Iran" and called the deal "a diplomatic masterpiece".[328]
In 2016, Pelosi argued against two bills that if enacted would block Iran's access to the dollar and impose sanctions for its ballistic missile program: "Regardless of whether you supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we all agree that Iran must not possess a nuclear weapon. At this time, the JCPOA is the best way to achieve this critical goal."[329]
In May 2018, after Trump announced his intention to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, Pelosi said the decision was an abdication of American leadership and "particularly senseless, disturbing & dangerous".[330]
In 2002, Pelosi opposed theIraq Resolution authorizing PresidentGeorge W. Bush to usemilitary force against Iraq, which passed the House on a 296–133 vote.[34][35] Pelosi said that "unilateral use of force without first exhausting every diplomatic remedy and other remedies and making a case to the American people will be harmful to our war on terrorism."[36] In explaining her opposition to the resolution, Pelosi saidCIA DirectorGeorge Tenet had told Congress the likelihood ofSaddam Hussein's launching an attack on the U.S. using weapons of mass destruction was low, saying: "This is about the Constitution It is about this Congress asserting its right to declare war when we are fully aware what the challenges are to us. It is about respecting the United Nations and a multilateral approach, which is safer for our troops."[35]
Although Pelosi voted against theIraq War, anti-war activists in San Francisco protested against her voting to continue funding the war. UC Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain said Pelosi had to balance the demands of her anti-war constituency against the moderate views of Democrats in tight races around the country in her role as minority leader.[331] Pelosi has never faced a serious challenger to her left in her district.[332]
Israel
Pelosi atAIPAC's annual Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.
Pelosi has reaffirmed that "America andIsrael share an unbreakable bond: in peace and war; and in prosperity and in hardship".[333] She has emphasized that "a strong relationship between theUnited States and Israel has long been supported by both Democrats and Republicans. America's commitment to the safety and security of the State of Israel is unwavering... [h]owever, thewar in Iraq has made both America and Israel less safe." Pelosi's voting record shows consistent support for Israel. Pelosi voted in favor of theJerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which urged the federal government torelocate the American embassy in Israel toJerusalem.[334] Before the 2006 elections in the Palestinian Authority, she voted for a Congressional initiative that disapproved of participation in the elections byHamas and other organizations the legislation defined as terrorist. She agrees with the current U.S. stance in support of land-for-peace. She has applauded Israeli "hopeful signs" of offering land while criticizing Palestinian "threats" of not demonstrating peace in turn. Pelosi has said, "If the Palestinians agree to coordinate with Israel on the evacuation, establish the rule of law, and demonstrate a capacity to govern, the world may be convinced that finally there is a real partner for peace".[333]
During the2006 Lebanon War, Pelosi voted in favor of Resolution 921: "...seizure of Israeli soldiers byHezbollah terrorists was an unprovoked attack and Israel has the right, and indeed the obligation, to respond." She argues that organizations and political bodies in the Mideast likeHamas andHezbollah "have a greater interest in maintaining a state of hostility with Israel than in improving the lives of the people they claim to represent". Pelosi asserts that civilians on both sides of the border "have been put at risk by the aggression of Hamas and Hezbollah" in part for their use of "civilians as shields by concealing weapons in civilian areas".[335]
In September 2008, Pelosi hosted a reception in Washington with IsraeliSpeaker of the KnessetDalia Itzik, along with 20 members of Congress, where they toasted the "strong friendship" between Israel and the United States. During the ceremony, Pelosi held up replica dog tags of the three Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah and Hamas in 2006 and said she keeps them as a "symbol of the sacrifices made, sacrifices far too great by the people of the state of Israel".[336]
Pelosi supported Israel in the2014 Israel–Gaza conflict.[337] In March 2018 Pelosi said, "There is no greater political accomplishment in the 20th Century than the establishment of the State of Israel."[338] Pelosi condemned Rep.Ilhan Omar of Minnesota for posting controversial tweets related to Jews and Israel.[339] In March 2019, she said, "Israel and America are connected now and forever. We will never allow anyone to make Israel a wedge issue."[340]
Pelosi has voiced heavy criticism over Israel's plan toannex parts of the West Bank and theJordan Valley. She said Israeli annexation would undermine U.S. national security interests.[344] Pelosi said that Democrats are taking "a great pride" inBarack Obama's Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that Israel signed with the Obama administration in 2016, for a guarantee of $38billion in defense assistance over a decade.[344]
On January 28, 2024, Pelosi suggested that somepro-Palestinian protesters calling for a ceasefire in theGaza war could be connected to Russia and called on theFBI to investigate the possible connection.[345]
North Korea
Nancy Pelosi is one of the few members of Congress to have traveled toNorth Korea. She has expressed concern about the danger of nuclear proliferation from theNorth Korean regime, and the ongoing problems of hunger and oppression imposed by that country's leadership.[346][347]
In August 2017, following Trump's warning that North Korea "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen" in the event of further threats to the United States, Pelosi said the comments were "recklessly belligerent and demonstrate a grave lack of appreciation for the severity of the North Korean nuclear situation. His saber-rattling and provocative, impulsive rhetoric erode our credibility."[348]
In November 2017, after the Pentagon sent a letter to lawmakers stating a ground invasion was the only way to destroy allNorth Korea's nuclear weapons without concern for having missed any, Pelosi said she was concerned about Pyongyang's selling nuclear technology to third parties and called for the United States to "exhaust every other remedy".[349]
In June 2018, after Trump praised North Korean leaderKim Jong-un, Pelosi said in a statement, "In his haste to reach an agreement, President Trump elevated North Korea to the level of the United States while preserving the regime's status quo."[350]
In December 2017, Pelosi wrote a letter to Speaker Paul Ryan advocating for the continued House investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election on the grounds that Americans deserved "a comprehensive and fair investigation into Russia's attack" and "America's democracy and national security" being at stake. Pelosi cited the need for Congress to "fully investigate Russia's assault on our election systems to prevent future foreign attacks".[351]
In February 2018, after the release of a Republican report alleging surveillance abuses by the Justice Department, Pelosi accused Trump of siding with Russian presidentVladimir Putin at the expense of preserving intelligence sources and methods.[352] In July, Pelosi asserted that Trump was afraid to mention the 12 indictments against people connected to the intelligence community in Russia during his meeting with Putin and questioned what intelligence the Russians had on Trump to cause his behavior.[353] She said Putin would not be welcomed by Congress even if he visited Washington as a result of his actions: "Putin's ongoing attacks on our elections and on Western democracies and his illegal actions in Crimea and the rest of Ukraine deserve the fierce, unanimous condemnation of the international community, not a VIP ticket to our nation's capital." She called for House Speaker Ryan to "make clear that there is not—and never will be—an invitation for a thug like Putin to address the United States Congress."[354]
Pelosi supports theSyria Accountability Act andIran Freedom and Support Act. In a speech at theAIPAC 2005 annual conference, Pelosi said that "for too long, leaders from both parties haven't done enough" to put pressure onRussia and China who are providingIran with technological information on nuclear issues and missiles. "If evidence of participation by other nations in Iran's nuclear program is discovered, I will insist that the Administration use, rather than ignore, the evidence in determining how the U.S. deals with that nation or nations on other issues."[358] In April 2007, Pelosi visited Syria, where she met Foreign MinisterWalid Muallem, Vice PresidentFarouk al-Sharaa and PresidentBashar al-Assad, despite President Bush efforts to isolate Syria, because of militants crossing from Syria into Iraq, and supporting Hezbollah and Hamas.[359] During her visit, she conveyed Israeli Prime MinisterEhud Olmert message for peace, and toured inAl-Hamidiyah Souq,[360] and theUmayyad Mosque.[361]
In January 2019, Pelosi criticized President Trump's planned withdrawal ofU.S. troops from Syria andAfghanistan. She called Trump's announcement a "Christmas gift to Vladimir Putin".[364] In an October 2019 letter to Democratic caucus members, Pelosi wrote that both parties were condemning President Trump's deserting the US's "Kurdish allies in a foolish attempt to appease an authoritarian strongman"Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ofTurkey and opined that the decision "poses a dire threat to regional security and stability, and sends a dangerous message to Iran and Russia, as well as our allies, that the United States is no longer a trusted partner".[365] Later that month, she visitedJordan to discuss the Syrian situation with KingAbdullah II.[366] Afterwards, she went to Afghanistan, where she met PresidentAshraf Ghani and chief executive officerAbdullah Abdullah, and she was also briefed by U.S. diplomats on reconciliation efforts with theTaliban.[367]
Turkey
In mid-October 2007, after the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed a resolution to labelthe 1915 killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks as genocide, Pelosi pledged to bring the measure to a vote.[368] The draft resolution prompted warnings from President Bush and fierce criticism from Turkey, with Turkey's Prime Minister saying that approval of the resolution would endanger U.S.–Turkey relations.[369] After House support eroded, the measure's sponsors dropped their call for a vote, and in late October Pelosi agreed to set the matter aside.[370]
The resolution was passed during Pelosi's second term as Speaker. The House voted 405 to 11 in October 2019 to confirm the resolution.[371]
Pelosi has often been described as a polarizing figure, facing criticism from both the political right and left.Progressives have criticized her for her knowledge ofwaterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques during theWar on Terror, accusing her of not objecting strongly enough to these practices.[376]Conservatives andlibertarians have taken issue with her positions ongun rights, viewing her advocacy forgun control as an infringement onSecond Amendment rights.[377] They have also criticized her stance ontaxation, particularly her support for higher taxes on the wealthy and corporations to fund social programs.[376] Pelosi's role in leading the House to impeach PresidentDonald Trump twice has drawn significant criticism from Trump supporters and Republicans, who perceived the impeachments as politically motivated and divisive.[376][378]
Pelosi has faced allegations of using her position forinsider trading, particularly concerning stock transactions that critics claim were influenced by her legislative knowledge.[379] Critics have also depicted her as a symbol ofliberal elitism, pointing to her strong opposition topopulism and comments suggesting that some Americans reject Democratic policies due to their beliefs about "guns, gays, [and] God".[376][380] During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Pelosi was accused of hypocrisy when she had her hair styled at a salon that was supposed to be closed for indoor appointments due to health restrictions, with critics alleging she used her position to receive preferential treatment.[381]
Pelosi's only close race so far has been in the special election to succeed U.S. RepresentativeSala Burton after her death in February 1987. Pelosi defeated San Francisco SupervisorHarry Britt in the Democratic primary with 36 percent of the vote to his 32 percent,[15][382] then Republican Harriet Ross by more than 2-to-1.[383] Since then, Pelosi has enjoyed overwhelming support in her political career, collecting 76 and 77 percent of the vote inCalifornia's 5th congressional district 1988 and 1990. In 1992, after the redistricting from the1990 census, Pelosi ran inCalifornia's 8th congressional district, which now covered the San Francisco area. She has continued to post landslide victories since, dropping beneath 80 percent of the vote only three times in general elections. After redistricting from the2010 census, Pelosi ran inCalifornia's 12th congressional district, which she represented for the next decade. Due to the2020 United States redistricting cycle from the2020 census, Pelosi now representsCalifornia's 11th congressional district, which covers San Francisco.[384]
Nancy and Paul Pelosi have five children, includingChristine andAlexandra, and nine grandchildren.[388] Alexandra, a journalist, covered the Republican presidential campaigns in 2000 and made a film about the experience,Journeys with George. In 2007, Christine published a book,Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders.[389]
Pelosi resides in thePacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.[390][391] Her 2016 financial disclosure report lists among her assets a combined home and vineyard inSt. Helena, California, two commercial buildings in San Francisco, and a townhouse inLoomis, California.[392] In January 2021, her San Francisco home was vandalized with graffiti, messages of "[c]ancel rent" were left on her garage, along with fake blood and a severed pig's head.[393][394]
Financial status
Pelosi's husband, Paul, is a wealthy investor and the primary source of the couple's wealth.[395] In 2009,OpenSecrets estimated Pelosi's net worth at $58 million, making her the 13th-wealthiest member of Congress.[396] In 2014, OpenSecrets reported Pelosi's net worth had almost doubled, to about $101 million, making her the 8th-wealthiest.[397]Business Insider reported that Pelosi's net worth was $26.4million in 2012 and made her the 13th-richest member of Congress.[398] In 2018,Roll Call estimated Pelosi's net worth at $16.0million, making her the 30th-wealthiest member.[399]
Roll Call said Pelosi's earnings are connected to her husband's heavy investments in stocks that includeApple,Disney,Comcast andFacebook.Roll Call reported that the couple have $13.46million in liabilities including mortgages on seven properties. According toRoll Call, Pelosi and her husband hold properties "worth at least $23million, including a St. Helena vineyard inNapa Valley worth at least $5million."[399]
As of 2021, Pelosi's net worth was valued at $120 million, making her the 6th richest person in Congress. According to journalistGlenn Greenwald, the Pelosis have traded $33 million worth of tech stocks over the past two years, including Apple,Amazon,Microsoft, Facebook, andGoogle stocks.[400] In May and June 2021, Pelosi's husband purchased stocks in tech companies such asAlphabet, Amazon, and Apple, netting a gain of $5.3 million. This occurred even while Speaker Pelosi was working on anti-trust legislation to better regulate the tech industry.[401] The CEO of Apple,Tim Cook, had called Pelosi to lobby her in opposition to the new regulations.[402] Pelosi opposes increasing regulations on stock trades by members of congress, stating that "we're a free market economy" and congresspeople "should be able to participate in that."[403] This comment drew strong criticism, including from Democrats who favor banning stock trades by members of Congress.[404]
Pelosi has faced scrutiny over her family's stock trading activities, particularly after reports indicated that her investment portfolio achieved a 54% return in 2024, outperforming many hedge funds and the S&P 500.[405] Critics argue that members of Congress, including Pelosi, may have access to non-public information that could benefit personal investments, despite the STOCK Act of 2012, which prohibits insider trading by lawmakers.[406]
In July 2024, Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, sold between $500,000 and $1 million worth of Visa stock shortly before the Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit against the company.[407] This transaction drew allegations of potential insider trading. Pelosi's spokesperson said she does not own individual stocks and was not involved in her husband's investment decisions.[408] No formal investigation or charges have been announced as of 2025.
The incident intensified bipartisan calls for new legislation banning stock trading by members of Congress and their immediate families. In response, SenatorJosh Hawley reintroduced the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments (PELOSI) Act in early 2025.[409]
Involvement in Italian-American community
Pelosi is a board member of theNational Organization of Italian American Women.[410] She served for 13 years as a board member of the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2007, she received the NIAF Special Achievement Award for Public Advocacy and remains involved in the foundation.[411][412]
Catholic church
Pelosi considers herself a "devout Catholic", but has had numerous disagreements with members of the church hierarchy over gay rights, abortion, contraception, and in vitro fertilization. She has said that her biggest disappointment was the church's lobbying against the Affordable Care Act because of contraception coverage.[20]
Pelosi and Catholic bishops have also disagreed aboutabortion rights. Although she thought it was "lovely" that she had five children in a little over six years, she argued that "It's a woman's right to make her own choices with her family, her God, her doctor."[20]
On May 20, 2022,Salvatore Cordileone,archbishop of San Francisco, announced that Pelosi would be barred from receivingHoly Communion because of her support ofpro-choice abortion policies.[413] Cordileone had communicated his concerns on April 7, 2022, writing, "should you not publicly repudiate your advocacy for abortion 'rights' or else refrain from referring to your Catholic faith in public and receiving Holy Communion, I would have no choice but to make a declaration, in keeping withCanon 915, that you are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."[414]
In October 2022, while Pelosi was in Washington, D.C., an intruder entered her San Francisco home demanding to know her whereabouts, and attacked her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer.[417] The assailant, David DePape, was convicted on federal and state charges and sentenced to life without parole.[418]
^"Sheehan considers challenge to Pelosi", by Angela K. Brown,Associated Press, July 8, 2007.
^Espo, David (October 6, 2006)."Pelosi Says She Would Drain GOP 'Swamp'".The Washington Post.Archived from the original on January 14, 2021. RetrievedOctober 6, 2013....As in the first 100 hours the House meets after Democrats—in her fondest wish—win control in the November7 midterm elections and Pelosi takes the gavel as the first Madam Speaker in history.
^abDraper, Robert (November 19, 2018)."Nancy Pelosi's Last Battle".The New York Times Magazine. RetrievedAugust 18, 2022.Pelosi [had to manage] intransigent House Republicans, reluctant Blue Dogs, liberals demanding nothing less than a single-payer system, skittish White House advisers and Senate Democrats willing to waste months in quixotic pursuit of bipartisan cover. ... [She had to persuade progressives] that the 'public option' hybrid of single-payer and privately managed health care plans was now dead on arrival in the Senate. Then she persuaded Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan, an anti-abortion Democrat, to drop his demand that the health care bill prohibit federal funds being used on abortion. When a host of other backstage deals with Blue Dogs—like reckoning with disparities among states in Medicare reimbursements—failed, Pelosi managed the fallout. Obamacare passed in the House by three votes. 'I'd remind people: We would not have health care today were it not for Nancy Pelosi,' [Former Wisconsin Congressman David] Obey said. 'There were all kinds of people, both in our caucus and in the White House, who were willing to settle for one-tenth of a loaf. And she said, "To hell with that. We were sent here to do more."'
^"Pelosi: I Was Told Interrogation Methods Were Lawful".Fox News. May 8, 2009.Archived from the original on November 12, 2014. RetrievedJune 7, 2014.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted Friday that she was briefed only once about the "enhanced" interrogation techniques being used on terrorism suspects and that she was assured by lawyers with the CIA and the Department of Justice that the methods were legal.
^Warrick, Joby; Eggen, Dan (December 9, 2007)."Hill Briefed on Waterboarding in 2002".The Washington Post.Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. RetrievedOctober 6, 2013.'In fairness, the environment was different then because we were closer to Sept. 11 and people were still in a panic,' said one U.S. official present during the early briefings. 'But there was no objecting, no hand-wringing. The attitude was, "We don't care what you do to those guys as long as you get the information you need to protect the American people."'
Dabbous, Yasmine; Ladley, Amy (June 2010). "A spine of steel and a heart of gold: newspaper coverage of the first female Speaker of the House".Journal of Gender Studies.19 (2):181–194.doi:10.1080/09589231003695971.ISSN0958-9236.S2CID145462188.
McElroy, Lisa Tucker (2007).Nancy Pelosi: first woman Speaker of the House. Lerner.ISBN9781580136280.
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