US Lawmaker Proposes Amendment Requiring POTUS, VP Prove Cognitive Competency - Statement
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published February 21, 2023 | 11:30 PM
WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st February, 2023) US Congressman Scott DesJarlais is proposing a constitutional amendment requiring the president and vice president prove their cognitive competency to serve in office, the lawmaker's office told Sputnik on Tuesday.
DesJarlais, a former family medicine practitioner, introduced the bill to amend the US Constitution earlier in the day, Communications Director Alex Swisher said in a statement.
"This should be a nonpartisan issue. The American people deserve to know that the top two officials in charge of the safety and security of our country are mentally competent," DesJarlais is quoted as saying.
The 25th Amendment of the US Constitution currently allows the president to voluntarily transfer his powers to the vice president. The amendment also permits the vice president, alongside a majority of the presidential cabinet, to declare a president unable to discharge their duties.
New constitutional amendments must either pass both chambers of Congress with a two-thirds majority or be proposed at a national convention convened at the request of two-thirds of state legislatures. Proposed amendments must then be ratified by three-quarters of states prior to adoption.
DesJarlais is working with other members of the House Republican Doctors Caucus on legislation detailing which tests will be used to judge cognitive competency, Swisher said. Testing would need to be administered by a nonpartisan commission to avoid political targeting, Swisher said.
Proof of mental competency would be required at the candidacy stage, Swisher added.
The legislation comes as US President Joe Biden, 80, weighs a 2024 reelection bid. If Biden were to win a second term, he would turn 86 before completing his time in office.
Earlier this month, former White House physician Ronny Jackson accused the Biden administration of concealing reports on the president's mental fitness. A recent medical report on Biden made no mention of a cognitive test, although it characterized him as a "healthy, vigorous" man.
The legislation does not target any specific candidate and requires proof of competency from candidates of all political parties, Swisher said. Concerns about the mental competency of elected officials have been raised by both Republicans and Democrats, Swisher noted.
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