Overview
- The House bill, introduced Tuesday by Rep. Jamie Raskin, would set up a bipartisan medical panel under Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to assess a president’s ability to do the job.
- About 50 Democratic co-sponsors signed on after Trump’s recent Iran threat, AI images casting himself as Jesus, and insults toward Pope Leo XIV fueled fitness concerns, and former CIA Director John Brennan backed scrutiny.
- The proposal outlines a 16-member commission named by congressional leaders plus a chair, and with the vice president’s assent the panel could trigger a declaration that transfers power to the vice president on a temporary basis.
- Reporters and scholars say passage is unlikely because Republicans control Congress, Trump could veto the bill, and any attempt to invoke Section 4 would still require Vice President J.D. Vance and senior officials to cooperate.
- Section 4 has never been used, and a president can contest any declaration, which would force Congress to vote within 21 days and reach two-thirds in both chambers to keep the transfer in place, underscoring the high bar and the political stakes ahead of the midterms.