Neurosurgeons in Congress: the 25th amendment and United States Presidency

In 2020, realizing that a President was not immune to a public health emergency, United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi recommended the passing of a Bill (Raskin J (2021) A Bill To establish the Commission on Presidential Capacity to Discharge the Powers and Duties of the Office, and for other purposes. 116th Congress, 2nd Session. https://raskin.house.gov/sites/raskin.house.gov/files/Commission%20on%20Presidential%20Capacity%20Act%20%5BFINAL%5Dpdf.pdf) that would create a bipartisan group of experts to evaluate the Commander-in-Chief’s mental and physical health and advise Congress on whether a President could be demoted under the 25th Amendment. Neurosurgeons are equipped to advice Congress in the advent of such a need. The authors aimed to provide a brief history of the 25th amendment during US history and implications for neurosurgeons within the jurisdictions of US Congress.