Nikki Haley, the former U.N. Ambassador and 2024 Republican presidential candidate stated during the Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines, Iowa that public officials should be required to complete “competency tests.”
Haley argued that all those in office who are over the age of 75 should be required to complete “mental competency tests” This suggestion came after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, temporarily froze while delivering his remarks during a press conference earlier this week. The pause resulted in McConnell being guided away after he froze mid-sentence only to return a few minutes later to talk with reporters.
Haley added in her own remarks that apart from testing it is also necessary to implement term limits. She added that the incident on Wednesday with McConnell freezing was further proof that those who are making decisions about the nation should be able to function in a good cognitive state as they are making important decisions about national security and policy. As she argued, competency tests would not be hard and they would be required for both the Democrats and the Republicans.
Haley added that Washington was not operating properly and argued that over the past few years, they have been spending trillions of dollars, including through a “$2.2 trillion COVID stimulus bill” which was passed without any accountability. She then included examples of other funding projects that have passed through Congress while also noting that 60 percent of Americans have credit card debt, while 1 in 6 Americans have a hard time paying all their bills.
