FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 29, 2026
Former Congressman and Ambassador Francis Rooney Joins U.S. Term Limits Board of Directors
Longtime congressional term limits advocate sponsored constitutional amendment while serving in Congress.
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Term Limits (USTL), the nation’s largest nonpartisan organization advocating for term limits on Congress, today announces the appointment of former U.S. Representative and U.S. Ambassador Francis Rooney to its Board of Directors. He brings extensive experience in government, diplomacy, business, and public service to the organization.
Rooney represented Florida’s 19th Congressional District in the U.S. House from 2017 to 2021 and became a prominent advocate for congressional term limits during his two terms in the House. In 2019, Rooney was the lead sponsor of a constitutional amendment that would have limited service in the U.S. Senate to 12 years and in the House to six years.
Rooney also chose not to seek reelection in 2020. “I want to be a model for term limits,” he said in announcing his decision, adding that public office should be viewed as “Public service, not public life.”
In a July 2018 interview with ABC 7, Rooney said, “I think term limits will bring change, new ideas, and prevent the entrenched, elected officials who make it about them and not about the people they represent.”
“Francis Rooney didn’t simply talk about congressional term limits—he worked to enact them while serving in Congress and then demonstrated that commitment by returning to private life,” said Marshall Stocker, Chairman of U.S. Term Limits. “His experience in Congress, diplomacy, and business will be a tremendous asset to U.S. Term Limits as we continue the effort to establish term limits on Congress.”
Rooney previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See from 2005 to 2008 after being appointed by President George W. Bush. Before entering public service, he served as CEO of Rooney Holdings, a diversified family business with interests including construction, real estate development, and electronics manufacturing.
A graduate of Georgetown University and Georgetown University Law Center, Rooney has published more than 150 opinion articles on a range of public-policy issues.
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U.S. Term Limits is the largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. We connect term limits supporters with their legislators and work to pass term limits on all elected officials, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.
