Speaker Pelosi’s Remarks at Press Event on the Protecting Our Democracy Act

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined Chairman Adam Schiff, Chairman Jerry Nadler and Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney for a press event on the House passage of the Protecting Our Democracy Act. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much, Chairman Schiff, for your kind introduction. More importantly, for your great leadership and protection of our democracy. It's an honor for me to join you and our distinguished Chairs, Mr. Nadler, Chair of the Judiciary Committee, Madam Chair, Carolyn Maloney, Chair of the Oversight Committee – COR Committee – Congressional Oversight and Reform Committee.

I used to serve on that Committee – had a different name way back when, but a very important Committee that has such scope and such responsibility for oversight in the Congress. Adam Schiff, thank you for your outstanding, patriotic leadership and honchoing this legislation and bringing us together right now, today.

So when we call [Protecting] Our Democracy Act, what is that about? Well, it's about 245 years ago, when our families declared independence from an impressive monarch. They said, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men' – I'm sure they meant ‘and women' – ‘were created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.' Imagine that in our founding documents: the pursuit of happiness.

And, they continued, talking about the oppressive governance that they were under at the time: ‘Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends' – and I just described – ‘it is the people's duty to throw off such government and to provide new guards for our future security.' And, they did indeed throw off the British in a war that they won and began to write our founding documents. Our Founders would forge those guards: democratic institutions enshrined in the Constitution – and have had for centuries now safeguarded the rights of the American people.

The Protecting Our Democracy Act ensures the strength and survival of a democracy of, by and for the people: defending the rule of law, revitalizing our system of checks and balances and restoring our democratic institutions – is sweeping and future focused, as the distinguished Chairman said. We understand from the past, but we're focused on the future, designed to revive our American democracy, now and for generations to come.

It's by coincidence that today we're taking up this bill in the same day that the President is having his Democracy Forum at the White House – virtually, over 100 leaders from around the world participating as we talk about democracy versus autocracy and the erosion of democracy in some countries. We have to say that often in our very own country.

This legislation ensures that no one, not even a president, no matter who he or she may be, is above the law. One of our Founders, George Mason, warned during the Constitutional Convention: ‘Shall any man be above justice? Shall that man be above it, who can commit the most extensive injustice?' No, addressing presidential abuse, therefore, goes to the very heart of the very survival of our democracy.

And so therefore, this is about being worthy and honoring the vision of our Founders; being worthy of the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, who have defended our democracy and our freedoms contained within our Constitution, which we take an oath to protect and defend, but which others have abused. Worthy of the vision of our Founders, the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, worthy of the aspirations of our children as we go into the future, being custodians of our democracy, for now and for the future.

Now, I'm pleased to yield to a champion of our democracy, the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from New York, Jerry Nadler.