Greg Stanton Co-Launches Independent Presidential Capacity Commission

Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ) is helping establish an independent, nonpartisan commission to evaluate the President's capacity to continue serving in his role.

Co-founded by Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the new commission would allow the Vice President to act either with a majority of the Cabinet or a majority of the commission in the event of a 25th Amendment crisis.

Section 4 of the 25th Amendment allows Congress to create this permanent commission, even though the 25th Amendment was adopted in 1967 after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The new commission will be made up of four retired statespersons from the Executive Branch (such as former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Attorneys General, Surgeons General, Secretaries of State, Defense, and Treasury), selected by the Speaker of the House, House Minority Leader, Senate Majority Leader, and Senate Minority Leader.

In addition to the former statespersons, the Democratic and Republican Parties will each select four physicians and four psychiatrists (for a total of 16), with a 17th selected to serve as the Chair of the commission.

Moreover, the members cannot currently be in office, be federal employees, or be active-duty or reserve-duty military personnel.

Should the situation arise, Congress could pass a concurrent resolution directing the commission to evaluate the President's condition and report its findings, and act in accordance with the 25th Amendment if the President is found unfit to serve.

Democrats had been invoking the 25th Amendment ahead of the two-week ceasefire with Iran, after President Donald Trump made grandiose threats against the regime.

"The President's age, health, and increasingly erratic conduct are raising serious questions about his capacity to carry out his duties," Rep. Stanton said in a press release. "The Constitution explicitly created a process to handle concerns about presidential incapacity. It is a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment."