Rep. Jamie Raskin's Twenty-Fifth Amendment Legislation Is Long Overdue Says Tamara Zwinak, House Candidate

The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution specifies when a President may transfer power to the Vice President and under what circumstances.  Section 4 of the amendment provides for the Vice President and Congress to convene for the purpose of transferring power when the President is unable to do so.  

There is no doubt Congress has power to act under the Twenty-fifth Amendment. America must be prepared to transfer power when a President is unable or unwilling, due to incapacity, to perform the duties of office and transfer power voluntarily.

Setting up a process to engage the powers of Congress and the Vice President under the Twenty-fifth Amendment is apolitical. Our national security depends on the President's fitness. 

The President may not refuse to submit to an independent fitness for duty examination.

The President is not a private person. He is a public servant required to be fit for duty 24 hours a day. All public servants, and especially the President, has a duty to submit to a fitness examination when deemed necessary. 

When the President takes the oath of office, he or she clearly commits to protecting and defending our democracy and when he or she is unable to do this because of incapacity, the very refusal to submit to an examination is evidence of incapacity.  Under these circumstances an examination may take place involuntarily. 

There are a multitude of circumstances that may lead to the requirement under the Twenty-fifth Amendment to the US Constitution to invoke Section 4, among them, injury, illness, infection, intoxication and insanity. 

In our increasingly dangerous world and during this life threatening pandemic that can incapacitate, during and after recovery, Congress must have a process in place to transfer power when it is permitted by the Constitution. In fact, Congress has a duty to take the necessary action to ensure a smooth transition of power to the Vice President; or Speaker of the House, in the event both the President and Vice President are incapacitated; in order to maintain the stability of government; safety of the American people; rational execution of the War Powers Act; protection of our national security; and continue the execution of government duties assigned to the Executive Office.   

 

Popular posts from this blog

Candidate Answers to WLOS-TV Questions

 Bryan Overstreet, Special Projects Producer WLOS-TV Asheville, North Carolina                                       Cell: 804-263-8551 E-mail: bsoverstreet@sbgtv.com Re: Candidate Questions 1)  Why are you running for office? I am a Green candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives-District 11.  For decades the environmentalists have exerted great effort to protect nature.  This week the UN Summit on Biodiversity gathered experts and leaders from around the world to talk about the progress we have made protecting biodiversity.  Our goals have not been met.  We are in the final hour of our fight to protect nature and our place in it.  If we do not act immediately, one million species face extinction in the next few years.  Human activity has already caused the e...
Read more

U.S. House Candidate Tamara Zwinak responds to North Carolina Science Debate

1) What are your top 3 scientific priorities for the upcoming year? 1) The coronavirus pandemic: Deliver a safe, accessible, affordable and effective vaccine and innovative ways to dispense the vaccine to 500 million people in 20-21. 2) Increase innovative ways to rapidly reduce CO2 emissions to reduce global warming; the death of coral reefs; forest fires; and droughts. 3) Innovations to bring sustainable packaging without petroleum based materials or styrofoam to market and rapid ways to capture and collect plastic waste in the oceans, streams and on land.   2) How do you plan to ensure access to COVID-19 testing, tracing, treatment, and personal protective equipment (PPE) for all North Carolinians, especially workers in the highest risk jobs? By providing federal funds to the states to accomplish these tasks.   3) What is your strategy to mitigate infection risk in hot spots that contribute to community spread such as meat processing plants, nursing hom...
Read more

US House Candidate Tamara Zwinak Outlines Her Policy Positions and Priorities

Tamara Zwinak, Green candidate for U.S. House of Representatives outlines her position on a multitude of issues prioritized by her campaign.  Pandemic Response I believe the political climate in Washington has set the stage for the pandemic crisis.  The coronavirus pandemic has killed over 180,000 Americans of which nearly 50% are seniors and Black and Brown people.  Of those who have recovered, thousands still suffer from lingering symptoms that may leave them permanently disabled.  Over 35 million people are unemployed, millions more are discouraged workers and only half of the unemployed receive unemployment insurance.  My immediate plan for managing the pandemic includes Social Distancing, Mask Mandates, Rapid Testing with Immediate Results, a Safe and Effective vaccine available to all; production of PPE, medications and vaccines in the US; and testing of waste water. Sustainability My economic policy is grounded in the concepts of sustainable...
Read more