After concerns around President Donald Trump’s recent conduct, including threatening to “wipe out” an entire civilization last week, congressional Democrats want to create a new panel that could invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office.
On Tuesday, Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin filed a bill to create the nonpartisan body, already outlined in the Constitution, that could circumvent the requirement that the vice president and Cabinet vote to remove the president from office.
“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,” Raskin said in a press release.
What Would a 25th Amendment Panel Do?
Raskin’s bill, which has 50 backers, would create a permanent Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office.
Under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment, there are powers to create a body within Congress to “ensure effective and uninterrupted leadership in the presidency,” Raskin’s announcement read.
The main way the president can be removed from office under the current setup is by the vice president, in this case JD Vance, and a majority of the Cabinet submitting a written declaration to Congress that the president is unfit to carry out their duties.
Under Raskin’s proposal, the vice president would not need the Cabinet’s support, instead relying on a majority of the panel.
Lawmakers Backing 25th Amendment Panel
- Gabe Amo (RI)
- Becca Balint (VT)
- Shontel M. Brown (OH)
- André Carson (IN)
- Troy A. Carter Sr. (LA)
- Judy Chu (CA)
- Steve Cohen (TN)
- J. Luis Correa (CA)
- Jasmine Crockett (TX)
- Mark DeSaulnier (CA)
- April McClain Delaney (MD)
- Maxine Dexter (OR)
- Debbie Dingell (MI)
- Dwight Evans (PA)
- Lizzie Fletcher (TX)
- Sylvia R. Garcia (TX)
- Dan Goldman (NY)
- Al Green (TX)
- Jared Huffman (CA)
- Glenn Ivey (MD)
- Pramila Jayapal (WA)
- Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (GA)
- Sydney Kamlager‑Dove (CA)
- Timothy M. Kennedy (NY)
- John B. Larson (CT)
- Ted W. Lieu (CA)
- Sam T. Liccardo (CA)
- Betty McCollum (MN)
- Sarah McBride (DE)
- James P. McGovern (MA)
- Christian Menefee (TX)
- Kweisi Mfume (MD)
- Seth Moulton (MA)
- Kevin Mullin (CA)
- Joe Neguse (CO)
- Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC)
- Jimmy Panetta (CA)
- Chellie Pingree (ME)
- Emily Randall (WA)
- Luz M. Rivas (CA)
- Deborah K. Ross (NC)
- Andrea Salinas (OR)
- Mary Gay Scanlon (PA)
- Lateefah Simon (CA)
- Melanie A. Stansbury (NM)
- Shri Thanedar (MI)
- Bennie G. Thompson (MS)
- Lauren Underwood (IL)
- James Walkinshaw (VA)
- Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ)
Who Would Be on the Panel?
The legislation states that the Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader would all select four retired officials, including former presidents, vice presidents, or cabinet members, to serve on the commission.
Four physicians and four psychiatrists would also be selected by congressional leaders to serve on the commission and help with decision-making.
Will the Bill Succeed?
Given that the Democratic Party remains the minority party in both chambers of Congress, the likelihood of the bill passing remains slim, despite Raskin’s framing it as a long-term, bipartisan solution rather than one specifically aimed at Trump.
“This body should have been set up Congress when the 25th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1967,” Raskin said in a press release. “We have 535 Members of Congress but just one President and this body is a necessary element of successful continuity of government. Congress should act now to establish a permanent and standing Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office.”
When a large number of Democrats called for the 25th Amendment to be invoked last week, their calls went unanswered as Trump continues to command widespread support within his Cabinet.
“Lightweight Jamie Raskin is a stupid person’s idea of a smart person,” Davis Ingle, a White House spokesman, told Newsweek. “President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats like Raskin intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people.”
