House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has an unlikely ally in her trip to Taiwan: Republican lawmakers. GOP Lawmakers are cheering on the House Speaker’s trip to Taiwan, lauding it as “useful for American diplomacy and foreign policy” while encouraging her not to be dissuaded by President Joe Biden and others.
For the 20 years Pelosi has led Democrats in the House, she was assured she’d get opposition from her Republican counterparts on almost everything, especially considering she is seen as a toxic liberal.
But as she’s fiercely opposed China’s human rights abuses, even some of her harshest Republican critics have jumped on board, rallying behind her as she faces pushback from the White House and Beijing regarding the trip to the self-governing nation.
Lawmakers, who had been invited to accompany Pelosi on the trip during the Congressional recess, confirmed Pelosi was indeed taking the much-speculated voyage.
“As someone who disagrees with Speaker Pelosi on most every policy issue, on this area, she actually does have a track record — going back to Tiananmen — of criticizing the Chinese Communist Party for their human rights abuses. And so I think it would be in keeping with that track record — and very useful for American diplomacy and foreign policy — for the Speaker of the House to go to Taiwan,” Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher (Wis.) said in a statement.
Gallagher added that it was “imperative” that Pelosi not back down.
Chairman of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), echoed Gallagher’s statements, saying the House Speaker shouldn’t “cower” to the wishes of Beijing.
“I hope she stands up to the pressure that she’s going to get, and is already getting, from President Biden and the administration,” Chabot said, saying he believes “it’s important that we show solidarity with our ally Taiwan.”
The Ohio Republican then commended Pelosi’s decision before reiterating his “hope she sticks to her guns.”
