A Democratic lawmaker is proposing a major change to the 25th Amendment as opposition to President Trump within the party continues to grow and calls among their voters to impeach or remove the president keep up.
Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., called for changes to Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to allow former presidents and vice presidents to consult with the sitting vice president to determine whether the president is unfit to serve the office. Blumenauer, who introduced the bill during the April recess, believes the amendment, which was approved in 1967, would be “inoperable” if any president had mental issues or was unfit to serve as commander in chief.
“I think there are a lot of people who look at the application of the 25th Amendment, and as I studied it was quite clear that it really potentially could be inoperable if we ever had somebody in office that had delusional, serious mental problems — that you couldn’t make it work because they would just fire their Cabinet,” Blumenauer told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “So I thought, have a group of people whose integrity is unquestioned, it’s bipartisan, and if we ever had to implement it, these are people who would be able to evaluate, and it would be accepted by the public.”
According to the bill, which is known as the “Strengthening and Clarifying the 25th Amendment Act of 2017,” the president could be removed with a majority vote of former presidents and vice presidents in consultation with the vice president. Citing the ability for the president to fire his entire Cabinet or “natural bias” among Cabinet members to rule in favor of the president, Blumenauer believes a “reliable mechanism” is needed.
The Oregon Democrat said the first 100 days of Trump’s presidency served as an inspiration for the bill after numerous occasions gave him pause, including Trump’s claim soon after his inauguration that it stopped raining right as he delivered his speech.
“Well, I mean, clearly when you hear people who don’t know if it’s raining or not when they give a speech, it raises questions,” he said. “I don’t know whether it’s an act or he’s forgetful or if these things are exaggerated, but it did raise the question of what happens because it’s happened in the past.”
Specifically, he cited illnesses that struck presidents in the past, including Abraham Lincoln, who faced clinical depression, Woodrow Wilson, who had complications after a stroke, and Ronald Reagan, who some believe dealt with Alzheimer’s in the later stages of his presidency.
“This was a safeguard. And I think, actually, it strengthens it in any respect because it’s always a judgment call,” Blumenauer said. “Nobody wants to think that it’s a coup. In the era of fake news and partisan discord, people might be hesitant if it’s involved in the way that it’s structured now. I think this is just an opportunity to take it outside the realm of politics.”
At the moment, Blumenauer doesn’t have any co-sponsors, although he says he is continuing to discuss the legislation with fellow members.
“What I’m doing is developing a mechanism that strengthens the 25th Amendment,” he adds. Since Trump took office in January, multiple Democrats have openly raised questions about the president’s mental state, including Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. Others have left the door open to drafting articles of impeachment, including Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif. and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii.
A hypothetical panel today would comprise 10 former presidents and vice presidents, including six Democrats and four Republicans.
