In a bipartisan call for change, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Democratic Maryland Representative David Trone have advocated for the imposition of term limits on members of Congress.
The two political figures, in a joint op-ed for The New York Times, criticized the current state of Congress, which they claim is overrun by career politicians more interested in maintaining their positions than serving the public.
The op-ed, published amidst the 22nd day of a government shutdown, highlighted the frustration of Americans with the ongoing partisan deadlock. DeSantis and Trone wrote, "The endless stalemates and inability to find common ground are reflective of a deeper problem: The House and the Senate are dominated by career politicians, buoyed by re-election rates that routinely exceed 90 percent, who seem more concerned with clinging to power than serving the public."
According to the Daily Caller, the two former House lawmakers have taken it upon themselves to spearhead a national campaign in collaboration with U.S. Term Limits, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization. The organization's mission is to enact term limits on all elected officials, particularly those in Congress.
DeSantis and Trone, in their op-ed, expressed their commitment to restoring "accountability, competition and common sense on Capitol Hill."
The two politicians have had their fair share of experience in Congress. Trone, the founder and owner of alcohol retailer Total Wine & More, served Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2019 to January 2025, while DeSantis represented Florida's 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2018.
In their op-ed, DeSantis and Trone further criticized Congress as a "self-serving closed club of political insiders." They wrote, "Most members of Congress are, by any reasonable definition, career politicians. In that way, Congress too often can be a self-serving closed club of political insiders looking to protect their power rather than a true forum of ideas aimed at benefiting the American public."
They also dismissed redistricting reform as a potential solution, arguing that it would do little to curb the advantages incumbents enjoy in primaries and safe districts, or dismantle the seniority system that stifles innovation in Congress. They wrote, "Redrawing district boundaries would not erase things like name recognition and fund-raising advantages that allow incumbents to cling to power."
The concentration of power among career politicians, they argued, not only fuels partisanship by empowering lobbyists who profit off longstanding relationships, but also fuels public cynicism about the U.S. government. They concluded their op-ed with a powerful statement: "We are the greatest nation on Earth; we deserve a Congress that reflects that greatness, not one that serves as a retirement home for career politicians."
The call for term limits comes at a time when the median age of voting members in the House of Representatives is 57.5 years, and in the Senate, it is 64.7 years, as per a Pew Research Center analysis. Despite some older lawmakers facing scrutiny over their ability to continue serving functionally in Congress, many are reportedly not planning to retire before the 2026 midterm elections.
The push for term limits aligns with the sentiments of the majority of U.S. adults. A report from Pew Research Center in September 2023 revealed that 87% of U.S. adults favor limiting the number of terms that members of Congress can serve.
This bipartisan call for change, led by DeSantis and Trone, could be the first step towards a more accountable, competitive, and sensible Congress.
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