Republican senator urges Biden's Cabinet to invoke 25th Amendment after president suspends campaign

Missouri GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt sent letters on Monday to all members of President Joe Biden's Cabinet, urging them to invoke the 25th Amendment, which would remove the president, after he suspended his presidential campaign.

Biden suspended his campaign on Sunday afternoon, at the urging of fellow Democratic leaders over his ability to beat former President Donald Trump in November. They have also questioned the president's ability to serve another four years if he were reelected.

Several other Republicans have called for the president's cabinet to invoke the amendment over concerns regarding Biden's health and mental fitness to serve the remaining of his term. But Schmitt is the first lawmaker to take any formal action, according to Fox News.

"If President Biden is willing to admit he is unable to continue to stand as the Democratic Party nominee for President after the primary process due to his health, he is unable to continue to serve as President until January 20, 2025," Schmitt wrote in the letters. "It is with a sober awareness of the gravity of my request that I ask that you, as a principal officer of the executive department, to discharge your constitutional duty under the 25th Amendment."

"If President Biden is unwilling to resign, for the sake of our great nation, you must do your duty to relieve him of his constitutional powers and duties," the letters added.

If the Cabinet does invoke the 25th, Vice President Kamala Harris would serve out the remainder of Biden's term. Harris is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination after the president publicly endorsed her on Sunday.

"While Vice President Harris may have deficiencies to effectively serve as the Acting President in any way that benefits the American people, she has not displayed a medical, incurable inability to discharge the powers and duties of the Presidency, unlike President Biden," Schmitt wrote. 

"We cannot wait until January 20, 2025 for a mentally capable President. The stakes are too important given the domestic and foreign challenges the United States is currently facing," he concluded.

Republican Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance, who is currently a GOP senator from Ohio, has also called for Democrats to invoke the 25th Amendment. 

"There’s a constitutional process, the 25th Amendment. If Joe Biden can’t run for president, he can’t serve as president and, if they want to take him down because he’s mentally incapable of serving, invoke the 25th Amendment," Vance told Fox News host Jesse Watters. "You don’t get to do this in the most politically beneficial way for Democrats. If it’s an actual problem, they should take care of it the appropriate way."

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.