Term Limits In Congress

Many Americans today are displeased with and have expressed their discontent with the lawmaking actions—or the lack thereof, rather—of members of Congress. However, solutions to resolve, or at least improve, public approval of their congressional representatives are unclear and plagued by some of the following questions: are term limits the answer, will they do more harm than good, and is it just a trade-off for different, yet equally adverse issues?
Why Term Limits?
Dissatisfaction from Americans It should come as no surprise that Americans are less than satisfied with Congress. A Gallup poll conducted in 2013 reported that 75 percent of Americans—encompassing Republicans, Democrats, and independents alike—are in favor of restricting the
The Supreme Court stated the only way imposing term limits could be constitutional is by amending the Constitution (Philips, 2016, para. 3); however, this is an exceedingly difficult objective as it would require two-thirds vote from both chambers of Congress, and then must be ratified by at least three-fourths of the states (Phillips, para. 8). Expecting Congress to support an amendment that limits the tenure of their power is quite an unrealistic expectation that would likely have the same amount of their support as say proposing to reduce their salaries or benefits. Members of Congress posses a self-interest in prolonging their tenure in office which, unfortunately, has failed to fulfill the wishes and best interest of the
4). However, these assertions are not compelling because, in the case of the first reason, removing “experienced” members is a prime motive in pursuing term limits in the aspirations of reducing corruption and increasing productivity. However, Josh Chafetz, a congressional expert at Cornell University, stated term limits are not sensible in a body that handles countless complex issues as Congress does (Phillips, 2016, para. 11). The second argument does hold some merit as new members who are less familiar with the system have a higher likelihood of relying on the expertise of lobbyists (who can stay around Washington as long as they please), yet this is not concrete evidence as just because members are new does not prove they will be influenced. In regards to the third possibility, the fact that candidates know they will not have to run against an incumbent could increase their interest and motivation in running for office. Lastly, incumbents are not the only talented people qualified for their positions and were once new congressmen themselves. In order to reach the point of being a prospective Senator or Representative, one must prove extensively that they are capable of performing the duties and