U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen dismissed concerns about President Joe Biden's age by describing him as "Extremely Effective" amid calls for his withdrawal following a TV debate.
On the 9th (local time), Secretary Yellen responded to a related question from Republican Representative Mike Roller during a House Financial Services Committee hearing. She emphasized, "President Biden is extremely effective in the meetings I have attended with him," adding, "These meetings include numerous lengthy international talks, including a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping." Previously, the meeting between President Biden and President Xi held in San Francisco last November lasted a full four hours.
Secretary Yellen also confirmed that there are currently no discussions within the administration regarding the invocation of the 25th Amendment. The 25th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows the Vice President and Cabinet members to declare the President unable to perform duties, enabling the Vice President to assume presidential powers. This underscores the administration's judgment that 81-year-old President Biden has no issues performing his presidential duties.
With the November election approaching, President Biden, the Democratic nominee, has faced intense calls to withdraw after a poor performance in the first televised debate last month. During that debate, President Biden stumbled over words and used imprecise sentences, fueling controversy over his age and cognitive decline. Nevertheless, President Biden has strongly expressed his intention to complete the presidential race despite mounting pressure to step down.
The hearing was initially expected to focus on economic issues. However, Bloomberg News reported that a brief dispute arose in the hearing room when Representative Roller asked Secretary Yellen if she had noticed signs of mental or cognitive decline in President Biden. One member argued that the statement should be removed from the official record, and Republican Representative Blaine Rutkmeier, chair of the committee's National Security Panel, warned that it was an "inappropriate question."
The calls for President Biden's withdrawal are expected to reach a turning point this week. On the morning of the hearing, Democratic House members held their first caucus meeting since the televised debate, and Senate members also held their regular luncheon gathering. The New York Times (NYT) reported that while attendees remained tight-lipped about details, they described the caucus as a "listening session" and a "family conversation," terms that suggest thorny internal discussions. Representative Steve Cowen reportedly told the outlet that when asked if "Democratic House members are on the same page," he replied, "We are not even in the same book."
Meanwhile, Secretary Yellen expressed at the hearing that factors causing inflation concerns are easing and predicted that consumer price pressures will decrease over time. Regarding sanctions on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) targeting China, she stated, "We aimed to target key technologies contributing to the military intelligence and cyber capabilities of concerning countries," adding, "We are taking narrowly targeted measures addressing national security risks."
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