First reported by FOX, Republican Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee sent a letter to Vice President Kamala Harris urging her to invoke the 25th Amendment amid growing concerns over President Biden's “deteriorating health,” FOX News Digital exclusively reported.
“Regardless of whether or not Biden was aware of his declining health throughout his term, the impact of keeping him in office would be severe. Unless Biden himself intends to step down, we urge you to immediately invoke the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to force a resolution to this matter,” the letter sent to Harris on Tuesday said.
“We are living through unprecedented times in American history. President Biden, at the urging of his own party leadership, likely authorized the release of a statement last Sunday withdrawing from the November presidential election. The Democrat-led pressure campaign to remove President Biden as his party's standard-bearer will leave the United States with an ineffectual, lame-duck commander in chief for the next six months while highlighting the left's own questionable commitment to democracy,” Ogles continued in the letter.
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Rep. Andy Ogles leaves the U.S. Capitol after his final vote of the week, April 20, 2023. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides that “Whenever the Vice President and a majority of the principal officers of the executive department, or such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
The White House and family have given conflicting accounts of whether Biden's health issues influenced his decision to drop out of the race.
The letter came after Biden withdrew from the presidential race on Sunday afternoon, announcing the shock decision in a letter to X. Biden was self-isolating in Delaware after a COVID-19 diagnosis at the end of his reelection campaign and is due to return to the White House on Tuesday.
Ogles told Fox News Digital that Biden dropped out of the race because “he is unfit for the office of the president, and every American knows that.”
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“I have said for over a year that Biden's continuing declining health renders him unfit to lead our country. Although he has recently gone into seclusion following a suspected COVID-19 diagnosis, it is now more clear than ever that he will either resign or be ousted. Because Biden has made it clear that he will not resign, VP Harris must proceed with invoking the 25th Amendment to the Constitution to forcibly remove him from office. The safety and well-being of the American people and our nation depend on it,” Ogles continued.
Rep. Andy Ogles told Fox News Digital that Biden dropped out of the race because “he is unfit to serve as president, and the American people know that.” (Getty Images)
Biden's health has long been a concern for conservatives, including former White House physician Ronny Jackson, but the concerns snowballed after his disastrous debate performance with former President Trump last month. His performance sparked a flurry of calls from traditional media and Democrats for him to withdraw from the debate, concerned about Biden's mental state and age as he prepares to face Trump again.
Before Biden withdrew from the race, the president and his administration countered that Biden was in good mental health and did not suffer from dementia, Parkinson's disease or any other concerning illnesses. Harris' office told Fox News Digital on Tuesday morning that they believe Biden is currently able to carry out the duties of the presidency.
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President Biden and Vice President Harris (Getty Images)
Biden's intellectual acuity first came to national attention in February 2024, when former special counsel Robert Hur released a report investigating the president's handling of classified documents after he left the Obama administration as vice president.
According to the report, Heo called Biden a “caring, well-meaning but elderly man with a limited memory” and said he would not recommend criminal charges for possessing classified materials.
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President Biden salutes as he arrives at an event at the White House on November 27, 2023. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Biden's mental health came under renewed scrutiny earlier this year when The Wall Street Journal published a story based on interviews with dozens of lawmakers and administration officials that described Biden as losing his mental edge and looking aged in meetings. The White House denounced the story as a partisan attack piece.
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After Biden dropped out of the race, the president endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
“Our nation remains faced with malign forces with global ambitions,” the Republicans wrote in the letter, and despite divisions “tearing apart the Democratic Party,” they said “acting during the prolonged lame-duck period” could benefit America's enemies.
“Notwithstanding the current administration's responsibility in contributing to each of these developments, continuing to have Joe Biden in office could further diminish our ability to respond to the threat of Pace. He lacks the capacity to meet the challenges of the modern presidency, and if he is unable or unwilling to step down, we urge him to act now,” the statement concluded.
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While the White House has said Biden's withdrawal from the race was not due to health issues, the president has endorsed Harris as the Democratic nominee.