Senate Republicans Use Biden's Reasoning in Rare Defense of Nancy Pelosi

By Katherine Fung On 8/2/22 at 12:39 PM EDT

Politics Senate Senate Republicans Republicans GOP

In a rare move, more than half of the Senate GOP issued a statement in support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's controversial trip to Taiwan.

In a joint statement, 26 Republican Senators—including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—backed the Democrat for her decision to make a stop on the island, despite warnings from the Chinese Communist Party that it would take "forceful action" should Pelosi go through with the stopover.

"For decades, members of the United States Congress, including previous Speakers of the House, have travelled to Taiwan," the Republicans said. "This travel is consistent with the United States' One China policy to which we are committed. We are also committed now, more than ever, to all elements of the Taiwan Relations Act."

On Tuesday, Pelosi became the first high-ranking U.S. official to visit Taiwan in 25 years. The last House speaker to stop on the island was Republican Newt Gingrich in 1997.

Senate Republicans Pelosi Biden — A majority of Republican senators issued a rare statement on Tuesday in support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Above, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was among the 26 GOP senators who issued the statement, speaks during a news briefing after a weekly Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on July 12 in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images

The reasons that the GOP senators cited looked similar to the same reasons the Biden administration has used to downplay the importance of a trip from Pelosi.

A day earlier, before her stop in Taiwan had been confirmed, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that should she decide to visit the island, "it's not without precedent."

"I think we've laid out very clearly that if she goes—if she goes—it's not without precedent. It's not new. It doesn't change anything," Kirby said. "We've not ramped up the rhetoric. We've not changed our behavior."

He added that President Joe Biden has made clear that Pelosi and other members of Congress make their own decisions about their overseas travels, although Biden has also cautioned his fellow Democrat that a trip to Taiwan is "not a good idea."