McCormick seeks to impose term limits on Congress – Washington Examiner
senator David McCormick (R-PA) has proposed a joint resolution aimed at imposing term limits on members of Congress. This proposal,which he first shared with the Washington Examiner,seeks to amend the Constitution by limiting senators to two six-year terms and House members to six two-year terms. Notably, these limits would not apply to lawmakers who were elected before the 118th Congress, which began in January 2023.
McCormick’s push for term limits is part of a larger effort to ensure that Congress is not dominated by career politicians, which he believes stifles new ideas and younger leadership.He expressed concerns that veteran politicians, some of whom have held office for decades, create a system where new members struggle to gain influence. McCormick noted that such longstanding careers can led to a lack of generational diversity in Congress.
The resolution requires a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states to become law. public opinion appears to be in favor of term limits,with polling showing significant bipartisan support.Critics of the current congressional structure argue that it leads to stagnation and a disconnect from the younger electorate.
McCormick asserts that implementing term limits could help rejuvenate Congress and ensure it better serves the American people by facilitating fresh leadership and innovative ideas.
McCormick seeks to impose term limits on Congress with new legislative proposal
Sen. David McCormick (R-PA) unveiled a joint resolution, first shared with the Washington Examiner, on Thursday seeking to impose term limits on lawmakers.
McCormick’s resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution to implement term limits in Congress. It is a Senate companion to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick’s (R-PA) House resolution, which proposes limiting senators to two six-year terms and House members to six two-year terms. The limitations would not apply to lawmakers who were elected prior to the 118th Congress, which convened in January 2023.
“Our Founding Fathers never imagined that Congress would become an institution filled with career politicians who stay on well past retirement age, and Congress shouldn’t be a place where people can get comfortable in their jobs,” McCormick told the Washington Examiner. “We are extremely grateful for those who have served, for those who are serving, and for those who are willing to serve. At the same time, we need constant change and new blood for our democracy to work, and it is my hope that this resolution can help Washington begin to work again for the American people.”
The joint resolution requires a two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress and ratification by three-fourths of the states to become law.
McCormick argued that Congress’s current structure has shut out younger newcomers from positions of leadership, setting up a system where lawmakers feel forced to serve multiple terms if they want to wield influence in Washington, D.C. The Pennsylvania lawmaker, who ran on term limits as he campaigned in 2024, pledged last May to serve only two terms if elected.
“When I made my two-term pledge, someone told me that around the 12-year mark is when I would finally start to gain seniority and be effective,” McCormick said. “What does it say about Congress that it takes a dozen years to build the credibility you need to get anything done?”
The 119th Congress is the third oldest in history, and critics have slammed leading members of both parties for overstaying their time in Washington and eschewing calls to step aside, even as, in some cases, they exhibit visible signs of mental decline. Congressional leaders have also been criticized for building a system where “junior” lawmakers are shut out of key positions.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), 85, who has twice served as House speaker, has become the figurehead of the Democratic establishment since first winning her seat in 1987. She has moved forward with plans to mount a campaign for a 21st term in the 2026 elections, sparking a primary challenge from fellow Democrat Saikat Chakrabarti, who said, “It’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership.”
Pelosi also sparked criticism for promoting more “senior” lawmakers over younger members for prime leadership spots when she refused to back Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) as ranking member on the influential House Oversight Committee.
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), 83, led the upper chamber’s GOP conference from 2007 to 2025 and only surrendered his leadership position in February after he had several public episodes that sparked concern over his age and mental fitness. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), 74, has held his seat since 1999 and has led Democrats in the upper chamber for eight years.
Supporters of congressional term limits, such as former Democratic Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, believe such a policy will break the trend of career politicians such as Pelosi, McConnell, and Schumer from gatekeeping political power. The policy would generate a revolving door of fresh leaders who keep innovative ideas and solutions flowing, supporters say.
During a 2023 interview with NPR, Phillips worried that a lack of term limits has fueled “a growing lack of generational diversity” in Congress.
“When we have too many members that are around for 30, 40, sometimes 50 years, we are literally precluding participation [of younger citizens],” he said. “And I believe the United States is facing a crisis of participation in its politics.”
A limitation on terms, he argued, “opens doors for younger generations to become public servants” and “changes the behavior of outgoing members of Congress who feel liberated to vote their conscience and not necessarily their party line.”
McCormick’s joint resolution comes as national polling shows overwhelming bipartisan support for term limits. According to a 2023 Program for Public Consultation survey, 83% of voters, including 86% of Republicans and 80% of Democrats, support an amendment for congressional term limits. Another 2023 study by the Pew Research Center reported that 87% of Americans back the policy.
“When you’re talking about the average American and why 87% of them support term limits, it’s the storytelling,” Nick Tomboulides, executive director of an advocacy group called U.S. Term Limits, told NPR. “It’s these high-profile examples that you see of people who have either lost control, they have cognitive decline … [and] they’re making the most important decisions in our country.”
NEW SENATOR DAVID MCCORMICK VOWS TO KEEP BOTH FEET ON THE GROUND
Public confidence in Congress continues to decline, with Pew Charitable Trusts finding that seven in 10 Americans have an unfavorable view of the body. McCormick says, “Turning Congress around starts with term limits.”
“The Founders never imagined it would become an institution filled with politicians who make it a lifetime career,” he said.
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