Nancy Pelosi, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)/Mitch McConnell, Sept. 12, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)/Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The average age of senators in the 118th Congress is 64 years old; unchanged from the 117th Congress. There are 54 senators older than 65.
Nancy Pelosi, who served as the 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2019 to 2023, is 83 years old. Jim Clyburn, serving as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina, is 83. Mitch McConnell, who is serving in his seventh term as the senior U.S. senator from Kentucky, is 81. Dianne Feinstein, who is in her sixth term as U.S. senator from California, is 90 and mainly wheelchair bound.
McConnell has had two public displays of being incapacitated. On Aug. 30, he froze up for the second time mid-sentence while giving a press conference. Feinstein has had multiple health issues, which have kept her away from work for long periods of time. She was hospitalized for shingles in February, some of which she has not revealed publicly. The shingles extended to her facial and neck areas, resulting in issues with vision, balance, and Ramsay Hunt syndrome-induced facial paralysis, The New York Times reported. She has also had trouble remembering where she is at times.
So why are people past their “so-called” prime still serving in government.
Term limits for members of the U.S. Congress have been a topic of discussion and debate since the early 1990s. However, imposing term limits on Congress is not easy and is intricately tied to the U.S. Constitution.
Here are five things to know.
Historically, American colonies and states applied term limits before the Revolutionary War. At the federal level, the Articles of Confederation set term limits for delegates to the Continental Congress. But the U.S. Constitution did not set forth term limits. The only way to impose term limits now is through a constitutional amendment, The Thought Co. reported.
Between 1990 and 1995, members of Congress from 23 states faced term limits. However, the U.S. Supreme Court, in the case of “U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton,” declared state-imposed congressional term limits unconstitutional.
The U.S. Constitution does not include term limits for members of Congress. The Founding Fathers considered and rejected the idea of term limits during the Constitutional Convention of 1787. They believed longer service would enhance members’ knowledge and effectiveness in public office, Al Jazeera reported.
To propose a term limits amendment, Congress requires a two-thirds “supermajority” vote. And, if two-thirds of state legislatures demand it, Congress must convene a constitutional convention to consider amendments.
Advocates for term limits often point to the aging demographic of senators as a reason for their necessity. The representatives in government are getting older and stating in for longer terms, The Thought Co. reported.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., talks to The Associated Press about her visit to Ukraine a year ago and her time as the Democratic leader in the House, at the Capitol in Washington, April 19, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)/Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., speaks to the media, Sept. 12, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)/Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., heads to a vote on Capitol Hill, Sept. 6, 2023 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
