Sen. Ted Cruz (TX) and Rep. Francis Rooney (OK), both Republicans, introduced a Constitutional amendment on Thursday that would place term limits on members of Congress. The amendment would limit U.S. senators to two six-year terms and members of the U.S. House of Representatives to three two-year terms.
“For too long, members of Congress have abused their power and ignored the will of the American people,” Cruz said in a statement. “Term limits on members of Congress offer a solution to the brokenness we see in Washington, D.C. It is long past time for Congress to hold itself accountable. I urge my colleagues to submit this constitutional amendment to the states for speedy ratification.”
“The American people support term limits by an overwhelming margin. I believe that as lawmakers, we should follow the example of our founding fathers, Presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who refused to consider public service as a career," Rooney said in a statement. "Our history is replete with examples of leaders who served their country for a time and returned to private life, or who went on to serve in a different way.”
Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and David Perdue (R-GA) have co-sponsored the bill. Cruz introduced a similar amendment last January.
As it currently stands, there are no limits on the number of terms a member of Congress can serve. There are, however, term limits on committee positions.
President Donald Trump has previously said he would support congressional term limits:
I recently had a terrific meeting with a bipartisan group of freshman lawmakers who feel very strongly in favor of Congressional term limits. I gave them my full support and endorsement for their efforts. #DrainTheSwamp
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 30, 2018
In order to become a reality, two-thirds of both houses of Congress must approve the amendment, then it must be ratified by 38 states.
Here's a full copy of the amendment: