House resolution in the works to call on Kamala Harris to use 25th Amendment to remove Biden

Rep. Chip Roy said he plans to introduce a resolution calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to mobilize the administration’s cabinet and invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Biden from office.

The move, which Mr. Roy announced on X, comes after Mr. Biden struggled at times during Thursday night’s presidential debate to articulate his thoughts, with several long pauses that critics said showed signs of cognitive decline Republicans have long warned about.

“I intend to put forth a resolution calling upon the @VP to immediately use her powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene & mobilize the principal officers of the Cabinet to declare the @POTUS is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office,” Mr. Roy, Texas Republican, wrote Friday on X.

It was not immediately clear whether Republicans, who control the House, would force a vote on the resolution. But if they did, it could put Democrats in an uncomfortable spot of having to go on record about whether they still view Mr. Biden as fit to serve.

“I don’t know. I’m not trying to pressure or blindside leadership or anything,” Mr. Roy said when asked if he expects the resolution to get a vote. “It’s just something I feel strongly about filing. We’ll see where my colleagues are.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, did not say whether he supported Mr. Roy’s resolution but noted that it was up to the president’s Cabinet, not lawmakers, to decide whether Mr. Biden should be removed from office.

Still, he said Mr. Biden’s lackluster effort was more than political and could have serious ramifications for the country if the president was “not up to the task.”

He implored Cabinet members to “search their hearts” on what to do next.

“If I were in the Cabinet … I would be having that discussion with my colleagues at the Cabinet level. I would, and I think many of them are,” Mr. Johnson said. “In their heart of hearts, they understand exactly what we do. They see exactly what we do. And we’ll see what action they take.”

• Alex Miller contributed to this report.