Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) introduced a bill that creates a commission to test whether a president is fit to serve in office. The bill would establish a Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office.
According to the bill, the Commission would “carry out a medical examination of the President to determine whether the President is mentally or physically unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office.” The Commission would take action if it finds the president to be “temporarily or permanently impaired” by physical illness or disability, mental illness or deficiency, or alcohol or drug use.
“The Constitution explicitly vests Congress with the authority to create a body that will guarantee the successful continuity of government by responding to presidential incapacity to discharge the powers and duties of office. We have a solemn duty to play our defined role under the 25th Amendment by setting up this body to act alongside the Vice President and the Cabinet,” Raskin said in a statement.
He added, “Public trust in Donald Trump’s ability to meet the duties of his office has dropped to unprecedented lows as he threatens to destroy entire civilizations, unleashes chaos in the Middle East while violating Congressional war powers, aggressively insults the Pope of the Catholic Church and sends out artistic renderings online likening himself to Jesus Christ. We are at a dangerous precipice, and it is now a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment to protect the American people from an increasingly volatile and unstable situation.”
The legislation follows Raskin’s demand that President Trump undergo a full cognitive assessment, arguing that his recent comments surrounding the Iranian conflict suggest he has “cognitive decline.”
