We need to restore Congress to its original form and function

October 13, 2026

A big topic on both sides of the political aisle today is the US Congress. Currently, the good guys have a very thin majority, and the Democrats on the other side are running at all levels of government on the platform of “fundamentally transforming the United States of America.” Former President Barack Obama is no doubt thrilled to see that his horrible idea is still alive and well.

But whatever happens in November, the Congress will still have some issues that need to be dealt with. One of those is the “career in Congress” idea.

When the Founders of our country and the Framers of its Constitution were working to establish the country, their concept of the Congress included the idea of a bicameral body where citizens came to represent their state, district, and citizens for a while, and then returned home and went back to work. Their idea was not to change their job for one in Washington for the rest of their productive lives. We would have “citizen legislators,” people who would come to government for a few years, then go back home to their previous life.

Through the years, that concept has fallen by the wayside, and today being in the House of Representatives or the Senate has become a career field. Many of those serving today have been there a long time. And some of them have become quite wealthy, as they represented their district and state.

For some, perhaps many, that wealth may have resulted from what they knew and did as public servants that they used for their own personal gain.

And we need to recognize that neither the Congressional career aspect, nor the millionaire Representatives and Senators achievement are anything even remotely like what the Founders and Framers had in mind for their country.

Here’s a sample of what has occurred. According to Quorum Analytics, LLC, the longest-serving members of Congress are:

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) — 50 years (1975 – present)

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) — 48 years (1977 – present)

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) — 44 years (1981 – present)

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) — 44 years (1981 – present)

Rep. Hal Rogers (R-KY-5) — 44 years (1981 – present)

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ-4) — 44 years (1981 – present)

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD-5) — 44 years (1981 – present)

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) — 42 years (1983 – present)

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH-9) — 42 years (1983 – present)

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — 40 years (1985 – present)

Some of them served in both houses. Some of them have been in Congress longer than some of the newer members have been alive.

And notice that they all began their long tenure in Congress within the last six decades. That latter point shows that this trend has mostly developed, or at least greatly expanded, fairly recently.

And that situation has produced the desire for term limits and age ceilings for Congress among many Americans.

There have been complaints about some of the older members no longer being up to the job. And sometimes, as we grow older, some of us have serious issues that would interfere with our ability to do our job. Like former President Joe Biden, who was truly not able to serve out his tenure.

But not every old person suffers this decline. President Donald Trump, at 80, shows no signs of elderly decline. So, this is a person-by-person situation, and it might be unfair to apply it to everyone.

Term limits, on the other hand, would be a step toward restoring the original concept of citizen legislators. They would prevent people from becoming too powerful in Congress and allow new faces to appear there. And that is desired by a majority of Americans.

Term limits would also help with the age ceiling issue. As people age into their 70s and 80s, they most often do not look for something to do, like serve in Congress. But some might.

The national survey research and strategic services company, McLaughlin and Associates, tell us that an overwhelming average of 82 percent of Americans support a Term Limits Amendment for Congress, crossing party lines with 89 percent Republican, 83 percent Independent, and 76 percent Democrat.

Of course, the question is: what would the limits be?

Trump, in calling for congressional term limits, has suggested limiting House members to three 2-year terms, or 6 years of service, and Senate members to two 6-year terms, or 12 years of service.

But why should senators have 12 years in government, and representatives have only 6 years in government? And, what about someone who serves one or two terms in the House, and then runs for a Senate seat?

And there is also the idea of the citizens being able to elect who they prefer to serve them and their state in Congress. It isn’t an easy problem to solve.

However, in working to restore our constitutional republic to its original, superior form, Congressional term limits are a must. 

A majority thinks that it is time for Congressional term limits

August 5, 2025

It isn’t a new thing, but there is a lot of talk about term limits for members of Congress. The topic of term limits for federal office holders has been around since our nation was founded. In fact, the first controlling document, the Articles of Confederation, did address term limits for Congress.

However, the Founders decided during the Constitutional Convention not to include that in the Constitution.

Back in the early days, Congress was not looked at as, and was not supposed to be, a career. You were elected, you served a while, and then went back to your previous non-congressional job. There were definitely fewer, or perhaps no, 20-year or more congressional members in the early decades.

Currently, despite several attempts through the years to impose term limits via a constitutional amendment, the efforts were never popular enough to generate the two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress to produce an amendment.

Some states have tried to put term limits on their Representatives and Senators, but the courts have struck down all of those efforts. And, the Supreme Court has ruled that only a constitutional amendment can put term limits in place.

Currently, a majority of Americans do favor term limits for members of Congress, according to polls. The U.S. Term Limits (USTL) website notes the following: “Term Limits is known as the largest grassroots movement in American history, and US Term Limits was, and still is, the leader of that movement.”

Three reasons are often cited favoring term limits:
* Term limits could lead to more frequent changes in congressional personnel, and this could bring new and different ideas.
* As their time in Congress increases, some members lose their focus, become comfortable, and do not respond well to constituents.
* Over time, some members may also develop relationships with special interests and lobbyists, and this may change what they think is important.

Another element that has people favoring term limits is the number of members who have become much wealthier during their time in Congress. This includes members from both major parties, and others, as well.

And, of course, there are reasons cited for not imposing term limits. One is that over time, members gain valuable experience and institutional knowledge. Another is that rookie members may be more susceptible to lobbying and special interest efforts. The experience that members gain over time enables them to deal more effectively with passing complicated legislation, and if there is a large number of newer members, that could be a problem.

Then there is the question of what limits should be imposed. The USTL website provides this idea: “Currently, Representative Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Senator Ted Cruz of Texas are sponsoring the USTL amendment on Capitol Hill. It calls for a three-term (six year) limit on representatives and a two-term (12 year) limit on senators.” 

This might be the best solution, but some problems could result from it. First, House members can only serve half as many years as those in the Senate. And, if a person is elected to the House and serves two terms, or four years, can that person then run for one or two six-year terms in the Senate? 

Or, the other side: A one-term senator decides to leave and run for the House. Would he or she be eligible for any House terms?

Perhaps a better system would be a limit for the same number of years for all those who serve in Congress, regardless of whether they serve in one house, or both of them. Maybe a total of 12 years in one or both. Or perhaps 12 years is too long. Then, adjust the Senate term to four years, and make eight years the limit.

There is the question of whether current members of Congress will vote to approve an amendment to the Constitution that will limit their length of service.

However, even if members of Congress refuse to pass term limits on themselves, there is another method for getting the job done. A Term Limits Convention can be called to write and pass a constitutional amendment. This process bypasses the Washington roadblock, and allows we the people, and the states, to impose congressional term limits.

To call the Term Limits Convention, the state legislatures in 34 of the 50 states will have to vote for it. That could be difficult, however, given the strong feeling for term limits among the people, it will likely be less difficult than getting both houses of Congress to agree.

There are undoubtedly some or many members of Congress who have served many years and done the job as expected. Maybe one of them is your Representative or Senator. But again, Congress is not supposed to be a career.

One of the nation’s major problems today is that over the decades since its formation, some of the original ideals that made the United States of America a one-of-a-kind nation with a superior system of government have gradually been forgotten, changed, or replaced. Moving back to the way Congress was originally designed to work will be a beneficial step toward restoring the original design.