GOP Senator Asks if It Is ‘Time To Exercise the Provisions of the 25th Amendment’

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is raising questions about President Joe Biden's ability to discharge the duties of his office as chaotic scenes from Afghanistan are being broadcast around the world.

In a tweet on Monday, Scott wrote, "After the disastrous events in Afghanistan, we must confront a serious question: Is Joe Biden capable of discharging the duties of his office or has time come to exercise the provisions of the 25th Amendment?"

https://twitter.com/SenRickScott/status/1427294742824591363

The Florida senator's tweet followed the Taliban's take over of Kabul, Afghanistan.

Scott shared a tweet from a couple of days ago noting that the Taliban were on the verge of taking control of Kabul , the ongoing surge of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, and the expiration of the suspension on the limit of the amount of debt the U.S. can owe.

The 25th Amendment lays out a process to take power away from a president. As NPR reports , "The language of the amendment says if the vice president and either a majority of the executive Cabinet or a review body appointed by Congress declare in writing that the president is unfit for office, then the vice president immediately becomes the acting president."

The amendment provides a mechanism for the president to contest the charge that they are unfit for office.

The outlet also notes that the 25th Amendment has never been used to remove a president.

In June, 14 House Republicans penned a letter to Biden "to express our concern with your current cognitive state," and demand that he take a cognitive test.

Biden has defended his cognitive abilities. During an interview with CBS News in August 2020, he was asked if he had taken a test for cognitive decline.

"No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man," Biden responded.

And during a press conference in June 2020, he said, "Look, all you gotta do is watch me, and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I’m running against.”