Should members of Congress be subject to mental-acuity standards? U.S. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez thinks so — as do many Americans.
But among certain congressional colleagues, at least, the Washington Democrat is unique in that belief.
Gluesenkamp Perez spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper this week about an amendment she’d proposed seeking to set ethics guidelines for Congress members’ cognitive keenness.
It failed. Last week, Gluesenkamp Perez’s counterparts on the House Appropriations Committee slapped it down.
The lawmaker told Tapper in a July 2 segment that she’s fielded concerns from constituents who worry that congressional staff members are the ones actually behind the wheel of the federal government.
Although the amendment pertains to members of Congress, Tapper said that former President Joe Biden also had showed signs of cognitive decline while still in office. The CNN host gave Gluesenkamp Perez props for urging Biden to “do what he knows is right for the country and put the national interest first” last year as he sought to secure another term.
Gluesenkamp Perez — whose district includes Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania and Wahkiakum counties, plus some of south Thurston County — said she’d heard from constituents with such concerns.
“What I heard at home was: ‘Is this person the one steering the ship?’” she said. “It’s about the office itself, it’s about the loyalty to your district, and a commitment to real, effective representation and clarity on who is calling the shots.”
Biden isn’t the only politician to have come under fire for serving despite their purported cognitive decline. Many have speculated about the mental capacity of President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell.
Tapper referenced another case. Last year, news broke that then-U.S. Rep. Kay Granger hadn’t cast a vote in D.C. for months while she was struggling with dementia back home in Texas.
Mental acuity standards for Congress
Under Gluesenkamp Perez’s failed amendment, the Office of Congressional Conduct would create guidelines pertaining to Congress members’ ability to perform their duties free from substantial and permanent cognitive impairment.
Gluesenkamp Perez said she hoped that it would assist voters in making informed choices about who they elect. And it would help ensure effective representation, she added.
“I have rules up, down, and sideways about what kind of hat I can accept as a gift,” she told Tapper, “but these bigger questions about whether or not an office is being run by the person who’s elected, or their staff, have not been addressed in the way that they need to be.”
She also insisted that the amendment wasn’t about age; senior lawmakers are at times the most impactful, she said.
In a July 2 email, Gluesenkamp Perez’s office put the question to constituents: “Should Congress Have Cognitive Acuity Standards?”
“It’s not a partisan issue — every citizen deserves to know their Representative is fiercely showing up for them,” the email said.
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