Republicans in Congress are wasting no time pushing forward President-elect Trump’s agenda, starting with a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress. This week, Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced a joint resolution that seeks to limit U.S. senators to two six-year terms and House representatives to three two-year terms.
Cruz, a long-time advocate for term limits, made the case for the resolution in stark terms: “Term limits are critical to fixing what’s wrong with Washington, D.C.” He argued that the Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, not career politicians entrenched in power. “Term limits bring about long-overdue accountability,” Cruz added, urging his colleagues to pass the amendment and send it to the states for ratification.
Norman echoed these sentiments, emphasizing that holding office should be a “short-term privilege of public service, not a career choice.” He added, “Those of us in Congress ought to serve for a reasonable period of time and then return home to live under the laws we enacted.”
The resolution, co-sponsored by prominent Republicans like Senators Mike Lee (UT), Rick Scott (FL), and Rand Paul (KY), faces a challenging road. Unlike ordinary legislation, constitutional amendments require a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate, followed by ratification from 38 of the 50 states. Despite these hurdles, public support for term limits is overwhelming. A 2023 Pew Research poll found that 87% of Americans back the idea, with strong bipartisan agreement.
The push for term limits comes at a time of growing frustration with “career politicians,” highlighted by high-profile examples like the late Senator Dianne Feinstein, who clung to her seat despite declining health. Advocates argue that term limits would break the cycle of special-interest control and political stagnation, ushering in fresh perspectives and greater accountability.
President-elect Trump has championed term limits since his first campaign in 2016, though he was unable to advance the idea during his initial term. The effort failed largely due to the constitutional amendment process, which does not involve the president. However, Trump’s resounding election victory has reinvigorated momentum for reform.
With bipartisan support from the public and a new GOP majority in Congress, the term limits resolution could gain traction. Whether it clears the high bar for constitutional amendments remains uncertain, but Republicans are making it clear that the issue will be front and center in the new administration’s push to “drain the swamp.”