Pelosi Floor Speech on the Passing of Secretary Madeleine Albright

Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives on the passing and legacy of Secretary Madeleine Albright. Below are the Speaker's remarks:

Speaker Pelosi. Thank you, Congresswoman Slotkin, for arranging for this Special Order and for just speaking so beautifully about Madeleine Albright – a person that we all loved so very, very much for so many years. And to hear you, a relatively new Member of Congress but a woman in national security making your own mark in a significant way, recognize the greatness of Madeleine is just a joy. Right, Steny? To us — to see another generation of women leaders in security speaking about Madeleine.

Madeleine Albright was a – she was, she was a stateswoman. She was a champion of national security in our country. She was the embodiment of the American dream – her family coming when she was eleven years old – refugees to our shores. Her personal story is the makings of novels and movies and the rest.

But she was fresh and frisky and – she really, she had a sense of humor that was wonderful. And when she – I remember when the night of the – Congresswoman Slotkin – the night that there was a debate in St. Louis for the presidential – when President Clinton was running for president – he, we had dinner after the debate, and I said, ‘Well Madeleine, would you like – are you interested in participating in the Administration?'

I was a relatively new Member of Congress at the time. And she said, ‘Well I'm not going – I'm not, I don't want to go overseas.' So I said, ‘I know what you want. You want to be Ambassador to the U.N.,' because that would be of the stature and yet she did not want to go overseas. She wanted to be home for all kinds of different reasons.

And what a magnificent Ambassador she was for us to the United Nations. And then, as it would turn out, to become the first woman to be Secretary of State. This is such an exalted position. Thomas Jefferson was Secretary of State and Madeleine Albright was Secretary of State.

And as Congresswoman Slotkin made – she had boundless energy. She would – she would be, well, she was on the campaign trail after serving as Secretary of State – on the campaign trail, and she was, as you said, a rock star. She was a major attraction. People loved to see her.

I want to say – because my husband loved her so much, Paul – my husband, Paul, who was Chairman of the board of the Georgetown School of Foreign Service for a couple decades, I think, it seemed like a long time. He worshiped at the shrine of Madeleine Albright. When she would call me, if he had the phone first, I would have a hard time getting it away from [him] because he – well, they were the best of friends. She was my girlfriend in addition to being someone I admired so greatly.

And she would always call the day before your birthday because she wanted to be the first one to wish you happy birthday, which of course I was looking forward – you know that, right? Looking forward to this year. Instead, we would get this very sad news that she had – with all the dignity of Madeleine Albright, with all of the warmth and greatness of her – be with her family right up to the end.

Alice, Anne and Katherine: thank you for sharing your mother with us. And again, her sister Kathy and brother Joel – another – John, her brother John.

Another thing I'm going to mention about her is – I don't know how many of you were at the funeral of Brzezinski – National Security Adviser Brzezinski. Two people spoke at his funeral in the church. Some of us spoke afterward in the more informal setting, but two people spoke at his funeral. President Jimmy Carter and Secretary Madeleine Albright.

And what a beautiful compliment to speak for another great American patriot born overseas and coming to America to make his mark. And she spoke so beautiful – beautifully about America and about patriotism, about civic responsibility and the contribution he made – but that she was chosen to make that speech with the President was really so clearly appropriate and great to hear her speak.

Now, she had a collection of pins – and that she would always say when she'd go to a testimony or go to give testimony or whatever it is, ‘Read my pins.'

Sometimes it would be an American eagle, sometimes – you never knew what it might be. And she even toured the country with her pins and people showed up to see Madeleine's pins, because she had something about her that was – she knew how to connect with people. You know, this great intellect and the rest.

I just go back to Paul in closing to say this: she taught at Georgetown for 40 years. For 40 years. You mentioned this next generation of young diplomats and the rest. They took such pride in her leadership, her service, her being a professor there – that we're cooking up how they're going to observe for 40 years and this or that, and again, she had other plans to be in Heaven and look down on all of us.

How wonderful it is that tomorrow, many of her friends from Congress and from secure – and all – she made us all feel as if we were her best friends. I mean, I thought so. I mean, I think many of us thought that. So many of her loved ones, whether they were diplomats or people in service would be there to praise her. As an Ambassador to the United Nations and Secretary of State, she represented our nation with great poise and distinction and brilliance on the world stage and worked relentlessly to keep Americans safe and America secure, as a trusted voice on foreign policy in those jobs and beyond.

And beyond, because her influence extended long after her actual service in public office, but also as a professor. She was quick to sound the alarm with the rise of autocracy – as you know, she wrote about that in her book — at home and abroad. A prescient warning that remains an important guide and resource today. And then as a professor at Georgetown, which we, as the Pelosi family – we take great pride. My husband went there, my kids went there, I have an honorary degree there. And we all feel associated with Madeleine. She shaped the next generation of leadership, just as you said, by sharing her hard-earned wisdom and experience.

So tomorrow, many of her loved ones — whether it's from government, politics, security, academic world, friendship, girlfriends, hairdressers, wherever we've met together — her family first and foremost, which she loves so much, will join the Albright – will join Madeleine's family and her loved ones to pay our final respects at her memorial at the glorious Washington National Cathedral. I said final respect – well, I meant final respects for tomorrow.

We'll be paying our respects to her in many things that are being planned already. The presence of so many Members and diplomats at her memorial – and two Presidents of the United States to speak at her service will be another testament to a monumental impact she made on our nation and the world.

I wish everyone would read the op-ed that Secretary – another Secretary of State, a Senator, a national figure — Hillary Clinton wrote about Madeleine Albright. They were kindred spirits. They loved each other very much, they worked together with great respect for each other and for our country in such a beautiful way. Please, if you can, go to the New York Times and read what the Secretary said. I think she may be speaking tomorrow. I don't know what the program is, but I think she may be speaking tomorrow too.

So it was a – God truly blessed America with the life and the service and the leadership and the goodness of Madeleine Albright. May she forever rest in peace.

And again, thank you, Congresswoman Slotkin, for affording us all the opportunity to pay our respects to our dear Madeleine. Madam Ambassador, Madam Secretary, Madeleine Albright. Thank you. I yield back.