Congress proposes plan to replace Congress

What would happen if a horrific event took out several members of Congress, leaving a large swath of the country unrepresented?

In the current political environment, such an outbreak of violence is not as unthinkable as it used to be, according to a bipartisan collection of House members. The attempted assassination of members at a congressional baseball team practice in 2017, the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, a dramatic spike in threats against members and, most recently, a possible second assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump highlight the need for Congress to ensure it can continue to govern in the aftermath of mass violence, they said.

To address such a scenario, these four House members — two Republicans and two Democrats — are pushing an unlikely solution: a constitutional amendment that would allow members to be replaced quickly in the event of a mass-casualty event.

Caption from article by Amy Gardner and Jacqueline Alemany.

[Almost_EVL]

NEVER LET POLITICIANS PICK THEIR REPLACEMENTS.

[hoskinsfilms]

Ranked-choice voting by We The People: ❌
Ranked-choice voting by Congress: ✅

[drkblu]

Atrocious idea, Congress members shouldn't get to choose their replacement unless we get to vote on them with their list published beforehand.

[MistikaManiac]

They're looking out for themselves, and themselves ONLY.

[disorderlymatron]

Sooo...instead of trying to work on what things are causing the unrest...they're worried about their seats....jesus the amount of disconnect

[Kittytravel]

Man that's bold that they think the plan should be to choose replacements rather than just actively fixing the problems the citizens have.

[jeo]

I thought it was finally term limits for Congress, but that's too hopeful

[plutonicattic]

So.... make democracy hereditary? Because whos picking a random guy for their replacement

[kapkapi]

“Hey guys they fucking hate us!”
“Should we stop doing what they hate?”
“God no that would be stupid, SECRETARY prepare my war bunker.”

[flare]

Just for clarification for everyone, this amendment does not propose simply replacing the candidate for the rest of the term, but to instead fill in for the candidate while a special election is organized. Special elections take several months to take place, and can leave districts unrepresented that entire time. This is meant to prevent this gap of time in representation, and providing a list of potential temporary replacements is to prevent the governor from simply replacing the candidate with someone of the opposite party or beliefs. So, in the case of any or several representatives dying, the government can fully function and represent its citizens, It also aims to hopefully prevent any violence from swinging the balance of political power in the house, as a slew of suddenly empty seats from a mass casualty event could benefit one party or another, especially when difference of representative count between the parties are so close.

Still, to prevent anxiety among constituents of “who” these alternative people are, I feel that it would likely be better to publish the 5 replacements publicly before Election Day, instead of after swearing the oath of office as suggested by the amendment.

[matthewsalazar]

Bad idea! Corrupt politicians replacing themselves with more corrupt politicians…and WE get no say in the matter! BS!

[AshleyfromTX]

Makes me wonder if they’re about to do something so deplorable that they’re making arrangements to cover their asses.

[mr.mustard]

Glad that politicians can agree on protection for themselves but not the people they represent 🥳

[spikey]

That's terrifying. If the people want to up-end and redo legislative bodies, then we wouldn't want congressmen to recover with whom THEY chose to replace them.

[aidancooper]

Glad the stand-in for the viewer scoffed at the idea of a constitutional amendment being feasible

[DownTwisted]

It seems like:
1) They are worried about a Jan 6th Part Deux.
2) They are afraid people will realize the Govt can function perfectly fine if there was a lot less politicians around.

[auraFireblood]

All i gathered is instead of doing more helpful things for their country they agreed on a plan to replace them when the stuff they do makes people angry

[Special_K_]

So, rather than address the roots of
Social problems they’re covering their own asses? Got it.

[dragonnestking]

Oh wow, how surprising, suddenly when they’re the ones in danger something bipartisan gets done 😒

[CandyLV]

It’s so telling that they sense the need for such a thing