Speaking at the White House moments after meeting with President Obama, House Speaker John Boehner declares his support for a congressional resolution authorizing the president's plan to strike Syria:
The use of these weapons has to be responded to, and only the United States has the capability and capacity to stop Assad and to warn others around the world that this type of behavior is not going to be tolerated.
I appreciate the president reaching out to me and my colleagues in Congress over the last couple of weeks. I also appreciate the president asking the Congress to support him in this action.
This is something the United States as a country needs to do. I'm going to support the president's call for action. I believe my colleagues should support this call for action.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who had previously said she supported an attack, reaffirmed her support. "President Obama didn't draw the red line," she said. "Humanity drew it decades ago."
8:43 AM PT: Eric Cantor releases a statement backing Boehner's position.