Demand Term Limits for Members of Congress!

If there is anything people on both sides of the political isle can get behind, it’s reduced corruption in Washington. Some lawmakers believe the first step to a more accountable legislature is instituting term limits.

Yesterday, a constitutional amendment that would add term limits to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives was introduced by two members of Congress. The limits proposed would allow U.S. senators to serve for a maximum of 12 years (two six-year terms) and U.S. representatives to serve for six-years max (two three-year terms).

A 2016 Rasmussen Report found that 74% of Americans are in favor of term limits. However, GOP leaders Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell have not indicated that this would come up for a vote. After the election, McConnell clearly expressed his dislike for the idea, telling the press, “We have term limits — they're called elections."

Term limits could help the U.S. legislature in a number of ways, but perhaps most importantly, it’ll allow non-incumbents to have a better shot at securing seats in Congress. Those who are already a member of the legislature are far more likely to keep their seat in every race – regardless of whether or not their constituents are satisfied with them. Imposing term limits would work towards fixing that problem.

It could also reduce the strength of relationships members of the legislature could build with lobbyists, keeping them more accountable to their constituents. Limits could also improve bipartisan politics. Politicians tend to tread lightly when working with the other party, because they do not want to lose their party’s support when they are up for re-election. Limiting the number of elections they are going to participate in could open the door to more bipartisan work in Washington. At one of the most politically divided times in recent history, this is critical.

Sign now tell your senators and representatives: we support term limits for members of Congress!