WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Democrats introduced legislation to create a commission that would work with Vice President JD Vance to determine whether President Donald Trump is fit to serve and to remove him from office under the 25th Amendment if he is found unfit. The measure was introduced by Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee and the panel's ranking member, with 50 other Democratic House lawmakers co-sponsoring the bill.

The legislation would establish the Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of Office, with Vance leading the commission. The 25th Amendment outlines a process by which the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members can remove the president if they determine the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of the office. The amendment also allows the vice president to make that determination in conjunction with a body authorized by Congress, which is the mechanism the proposed commission would use.

Under the bill, the commission would be composed of four retired executive branch officeholders chosen by Congress's Republican and Democratic leaders, potentially including former presidents, vice presidents, surgeons general, and certain cabinet secretaries. Congressional leaders would also select four physicians and four psychiatrists to serve. The commission's 16 members would then choose a 17th person to act as chair. No current government employees or elected officials would be eligible to serve on the commission.

"We are at a dangerous precipice, and it is now a matter of national security for Congress to fulfill its responsibilities under the 25th Amendment to protect the American people from an increasingly volatile and unstable situation," Raskin said. He added: "This body should have been set up by Congress when the 25th Amendment was added to the Constitution in 1967. We have 535 Members of Congress but just one president and this body is a necessary element of successful continuity of government."

The legislation followed a warning by Trump that Iran's civilization would die if it did not capitulate to his demands, as well as a social media post in which Trump depicted himself as Jesus Christ. The effort is not the first time lawmakers have invoked the 25th Amendment against a sitting president. Several House Republicans previously filed resolutions calling for then-Vice President Kamala Harris to convene the Cabinet to remove President Joe Biden from office, though none of those resolutions were ever voted on. Trump defeated Harris in the 2024 presidential election.