It is common knowledge that Congress has been a flawed institution for decades, but did you know that the environment inside the legislative body has become so abysmal that 52 members of Congress will exit this year? As of May 20, 2024, eight members of the U.S. Senate and 44 members of the U.S. House- announced they would not seek re-election in 2024 (Ballotpedia).
Yes, you read that correctly — even members of Congress are fleeing the institution they helped shape. In their exit interview with the New York Times, they shed light on what truly happens behind closed doors; of course, they testified that Congress does not suffer from corruption, but the disconcerting revelations demonstrate the urgent necessity for term limits more than ever before.
Indiana Representative Larry Bucshon claimed that Congress is “misunderstood”, and it’s fallacious to believe that they are intentionally “trying to not accomplish goals on behalf of the American people”. If that were the case, why was his biggest frustration not being able to pass bills, even if they had hundreds of cosponsors?
Bucshon was not the only congressman with troubling statements. Former Colorado Rep. Ken Buck revealed that members of Congress have to buy their committee seats. “I was told at the beginning that I had to raise $250,000 if I wanted to be on certain committees. If I wanted to be on more important committees, or committees with broader jurisdiction, I needed to raise even more money.” In the workforce, it’s natural for those with more experience to have more prestigious positions; however, imagine working in a career in which a promotion was barred until the employee gave the institution a sum equivalent to an entire mortgage.
Washington Representative Derek Kilmer also added “The number of times over the course of the 11-plus years that I’ve heard one of my colleagues say… ‘I agree with you on that, but I could never vote that way because of a primary,’ is concerning.” Maryland Senator Ben Cardin also added that Citizens Unite was an egregious Supreme Court decision, as it opened the floodgates for special interest dollars from corporations. How could members of congress expect the American people to believe they work on behalf of our needs, when this all but confirms affluent organizations and the people behind them constitute the representatives and senators of this country?
Even in the sphere of the decisions they genuinely make, the overwhelming majority are made with their own interests in mind. Michigan Representative Dan Kildee admits “The thing that’s most frustrating now is that the environment seems to give permission for people to come to an understanding, to shake hands, and then erase all memory of that deal when it becomes convenient to do so.” Maryland Representative John Sarbanes also added that many congressmen publicize what they believe will go viral, instead of addressing pressing issues. If each cog in a clock were to spin in different directions, we would never know the time; that is the dilemma- when hundreds of individuals stand by a hidden agenda instead of their word, their perpetual oscillation culminates to the least productive Congress in U.S. history (govtrack.us).
The politicians who are against term limits often emphasize the need for individuals with political experience; however, term limits would serve to inhibit this problem. “Between January 2011 and February 2022, a total of 295 incumbents retired from the U.S. House and Senate. Out of every election cycle from 2012 to 2020, the 2018 cycle had the highest number of retirements at 55, and the 2020 cycle had the fewest with 40 announcements” (Ballotpedia). Congress is aging rapidly, leading to massive turnover rates in Congress. Arguably, it’s even more difficult to mitigate the ever increasing rate of retirement than a set number of terms dictated by term limits.
When Bucshon was asked how to fix Congress, he said that it’s up to the American people to mend it. That is one of the few statements that can be agreed upon; we cannot rely on our current legislature to represent us instead of their interests and large corporations. Congress has immense potential, but we need to buff out the imperfections, the stagnant politicians, to make our legislature shine. To enact term limits is to enact the will of the people, and we need it more than ever.