Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez's push for congressional cognitive-decline standards draws cross-partisan attention

Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), who publicly urged President Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race following his June debate performance, is now pressing for formal standards to address cognitive decline among sitting members of Congress. In a video posted to X on Monday, she said, "In every job I've ever had, there's a simple expectation — you actually have to be able to do the work. Either you can do it or you can't. And Congress shouldn't be any different."

Her proposed amendment to the FY27 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill would have directed the Office of Congressional Conduct to define what constitutes conduct that "does not reflect creditably upon the House" as it relates to a member's ability to perform duties "unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment." The amendment was defeated by voice vote in May.

Gluesenkamp Perez has used the term "gerontocracy" to describe what she sees as a systemic problem in Congress, and has previously said members who refuse to retire despite cognitive decline damage public confidence in the institution. She has also drawn a distinction between aging generally and cognitive incapacity specifically, stating in a 2025 interview, "You should have members of Congress who are navigating those questions of health care and the medical conditions older people face — that makes a stronger body."