Texas Rep. Chip Roy files resolution urging VP Harris to remove Biden from office
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, has introduced a resolution aimed at invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Joe Biden from office following his widely criticized performance at last week’s presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.
According to Roy’s statement and the text of the resolution, the move would require Vice President Kamala Harris and the Cabinet to formally declare Biden incapable of performing his duties, The Daily Caller reported.
The call for action is rooted in Biden’s debate performance Thursday night, which was described by both Democrats and left-leaning media outlets as disastrous, raising serious questions about his mental acuity and fitness for the office.
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“Whereas President Joseph R. Biden has repeatedly and publicly demonstrated his inability to discharge the powers and duties of the presidency, including, among others, the powers and duties of the commander-in-chief: Now, therefore, be it resolved that the House of Representatives calls upon Vice President Kamala D. Harris to immediately use her powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare that President Joseph R. Biden is unable to discharge the duties and powers of the office; and to transmit to the president pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives that she will be immediately assuming the powers and duties of the office as acting president,” reads the resolution.
The 25th Amendment, which was ratified in 1967 following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, includes provisions for the transfer of power in scenarios where the president is unable to perform the duties of the office. Section 4 of this amendment allows the vice president, together with a majority of the cabinet, to declare the president unfit, thereby making the vice president the acting president, the Washington Examiner noted.
Despite these calls, Harris has publicly dismissed concerns about Biden’s debate performance. In an interview with MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, Harris admitted to a slow start in the debate but insisted that he finished strong, praising Biden for wanting a debate based on facts and truth, according to the interview’s transcript by The Daily Signal.
The move by Roy comes amid a backdrop of increasing concerns from members of both parties over Biden’s capability to handle his duties as president, especially after a report in February by special counsel Robert Hur described Biden as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.”
Critics, including some Democratic figures like former Senator Claire McCaskill, expressed disappointment, noting Biden failed to reassure Americans of his capability to handle the presidency at his age during the debate.
Republican senators have also voiced their concerns, with Sen. Mike Lee suggesting that “we’ve definitely entered 25th Amendment territory,” and Sen. Rick Scott commenting on the serious discussions about the 25th Amendment among Democrats.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has also stressed the urgency of evaluating Biden’s capability, advocating for the release of the Hur tapes to assess Biden’s coherence, calling it a matter of national security.
“Every member of Congress has a constitutional duty to ensure we have a coherent President. We MUST hear the Hur tapes. A lawsuit can take years. I will be calling up the vote to hold Garland in inherent contempt this morning. This is a national security issue,” she wrote on X.
