A bill filed in April by Dem. Rep. Earl Blumenauer would create a new bipartisan entity called the Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity made up of 11 members of Congress.
The job of the commission would be to determine the mental fitness of a sitting president and make a recommendation, should it be deemed appropriate, that removal from office is necessary.
The bill has gained major steam this week among Democrats who are signing on in support in hopes of getting enough momentum from the American people to force a public debate.
According to current law, a president can be deemed unfit and removed by the Vice President if a majority of the Cabinet or Congress believe it to be needed.
Here’s more from the Hill…
A House Democrat has introduced legislation to enhance the Constitution’s presidential removal procedures in response to concerns about President Trump’s behavior.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) filed the bill during the House’s two-week April recess to empower former presidents and vice presidents of both parties, in coordination with the sitting vice president, to determine if a president is fit for office.
“It is hard to imagine a better group to work with the vice president to examine whether the president is able to discharge the duties of the office. When there are questions about the president’s ability to fulfill his or her constitutional responsibilities, it is in the country’s best interest to have a mechanism in place that works effectively,” Blumenauer said in a statement.
Blumenauer’s proposal stems from concern that the Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which was adopted five decades ago, would fall short in cases of emotional or mental incapacity.
The amendment states that the vice president assumes the Oval Office in the event that a president is removed from office, dies or resigns.
Alternatively, the vice president and a majority of Cabinet officers can also jointly declare that a president is unfit to serve. The vice president would then take over as president in such a case.
