House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden Monday in his quest to unseat President Donald Trump, calling Biden a "battle-tested leader who will fight for the people."

"He will be an extraordinary president," Pelosi said in a video statement. "He knows how to get the job done."

As speaker and later House minority leader, Pelosi worked closely with Biden during his years as vice president under Barack Obama and she touted Biden's role in overseeing the Recovery and Reinvestment Act during the Great Recession and the work he did to help ensure the passage of the Affordable Care Act.

Health care is consistently ranked as a top concern among voters in polls, and Pelosi said the presumptive Democratic nominee "has been with us every step of the way to protect Americans quality, affordable health care." She drew a contrast with Trump, whom she said was engaged in a campaign to "destroy every last benefit and protection of the ACA."

Pelosi said that during the coronavirus pandemic, Biden – who has offered his perspective on how to manage the outbreak in media interviews and videos filmed at his home – "has been a voice of reason and resilience, with a clear path to lead us out of this crisis."

During the primary campaign, Pelosi chose to remain neutral and stressed party unity even as moderate House Democrats in purple districts voiced concern that nominating Sen. Bernie Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, would doom their chances of reelection.

Biden's rivals for the nomination quickly dropped out as he mounted a historic comeback after losing the first three primary contests. His final opponent, Sanders, withdrew and officially endorsed Biden earlier this month.

In addition to Pelosi and Sanders, Biden has the endorsement of most Democratic Party leaders, including former President Barack Obama, 2004 Democratic nominee John Kerry and former Vice President Al Gore.

Pelosi called Biden a "leader with the humility to seek expertise in science and the competence to act upon it." She added that he "brings values and integrity to work every day," and she continued to praise Biden's "values" in her endorsement, highlighting what she appears to consider a strength relative to Trump.

"Elections are about the future," Pelosi said. "Now more than ever, we need a forward-looking, battle-tested leader who will fight for the people; a president with the values, experience and the strategic thinking to bring our nation together and build a better, fairer world for our children.

"For these and other reasons, I'm proud to endorse Joe Biden for president, a leader who is the personification of hope and courage, values, authenticity and integrity."

Stressing the importance of turning out to vote in November, Pelosi vowed to "deliver bold progress for the people" if Biden is elected along with congressional majorities in the House and Senate.