GOP Blocks Dems’ Attempt to Unanimously Pass 25th Amendment Bill, House to Vote This Week

by Causes | 1.11.21

What’s the story?

• Republicans on Monday blocked Democrats’ effort to pass a resolution by unanimous consent calling for Vice President Mike Pence to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove President Donald Trump from office.
• House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) offered the resolution on the floor on behalf of Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) in the unsuccessful effort to pass the non-binding bill by unanimous consent.
• Rep. Alexander Mooney (R-WV) objected and released a statement to explain:

“Speaker Pelosi should not attempt to adopt a resolution of this magnitude without any debate on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. It is wrong to have sent members of Congress home and then try to adopt without any debate a precedent-setting resolution that could imperil our Republic. The U.S. House must never adopt a resolution that demands the removal of a duly elected president, without any hearings, debate or recorded votes.”

• Pelosi released a statement indicating that the House will move forward with a vote on the legislation this week ahead of an eventual vote on an article of impeachment:

“The House Republicans rejected this legislation to protect America, enabling the President’s unhinged, unstable and deranged acts of sedition to continue. Their complicity endangers America, erodes our Democracy, and it must end. The House will next take up the Raskin legislation in regular order to call upon the Vice President to activate the 25th Amendment to remove the President. We are further calling on the Vice President to respond within 24 hours after passage. As our next step, we will move forward with bringing impeachment legislation to the Floor. The President’s threat to America is urgent, and so too will be our action.”

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / dkfielding)