https://sputnikglobe.com/20230903/us-congress-is-older-than-ever-but-reform-is-unlikely-1113087471.html
US Congress is Older Than Ever, But Reform is Unlikely
US Congress is Older Than Ever, But Reform is Unlikely
Sputnik International
Predominance of senior citizens among US Congress members, many of whom have been in office for decades and are unwilling to give up their seats even in the face of serious health problems, needs to be addressed, albeit a solution should not be expected in the foreseeable future, experts told Sputnik.
2023-09-03T06:12+0000
2023-09-03T06:12+0000
2023-09-03T06:12+0000
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Earlier in the week, US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, froze during remarks to reporters and appeared to lose his ability to speak in the second such incident this summer. McConnell’s spokesman said the pause was due to McConnell feeling lightheaded. Later, the attending physician for Congress announced that the senior lawmaker had been medically evaluated and given the go-ahead to continue with his schedule as normal. This is not the first such incident as McConnell similarly fell silent partway through a press conference in July. He briefly departed the presser before later returning, claiming he felt fine. Earlier this year, McConnell sustained a concussion during a fall and stepped away after feeling lightheaded, one of McConnell’s aides said at the time. Gerontocracy on PotomacMcConnell is not the only prominent member of US legislature whose health became a point of discussion. Last year, media reported US lawmakers questioning the mental fitness of long-time US senator Dianne Feinstein, who has served as a member of the US Senate since 1992, representing California. In 2023, Feinstein, now aged 90, announced that she will not run for reelection in 2024. This illustrates a trend of US political class becoming older compared with the past, with the 80-year-old incumbent president, Joe Biden, being the most prominent example as the oldest sitting US leader. His predecessor and likely opponent during the 2024 election, Donald Trump, is not that far behind, being 77 years old. According to the FiveThirtyEight polling website, both House and Senate are older than ever before, with the median age for US representatives and senators being 57.8 and 65.3, respectively. Similar to Feinstein and McConnell, many of those people have been in Congress for decades. Push It to the LimitThis development has triggered a conversation about whether it is appropriate for a senior lawmaker to stay in power well into their old age, especially since there is no mechanism to remove them similar to the Constitution’s 25th Amendment, which outlines the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation. While the both chambers of Congress can expel members with a two-third majority, only 20 lawmakers have been removed this way since 1789, with a majority of those cases involving support for Confederacy during the Civil War. There have been proposals to introduce age limits for elected officials, which is also not that out of the ordinary, considering there are already minimum age requirements for holding political office. "Now that Americans are living longer, and the consequences of having octogenarians running the country (specifically President Biden and Senator McConnell) are apparent, a conversation around age limits in needed. Public opinion polling has shown that a majority of Americans are in favor of this. It could also be a consideration for the Supreme Court, as it tends to have the same issues around older justices becoming unwell in post and potentially leaving the bench short of a member," Clodagh Harrington, a lecturer in US politics at University College Cork, said. When asked whether a version of the 25th Amendment for members of Congress could be passed, the expert noted that even that addition to the constitution has been controversial. Stephen Presser, the Raoul Berger professor of legal history emeritus at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, also doubts that a constitutional amendment is a way forward. He noted that seniors in Congress almost always get reelected since they have a financial advantage and backers who benefit from their incumbency. "I think it would be better to do term limits for Congressmen and Senators than age limits," Presser suggested, adding that "the problem is not really age, but incompetence and corruption."
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us congress, reform is unlikely, predominance of senior citizens
us congress, reform is unlikely, predominance of senior citizens
US Congress is Older Than Ever, But Reform is Unlikely
MOSCOW (Sputnik) Kirill Krasilnikov - Predominance of senior citizens among US Congress members, many of whom have been in office for decades and are unwilling to give up their seats even in the face of serious health problems, needs to be addressed, albeit a solution should not be expected in the foreseeable future, experts told Sputnik.
Earlier in the week, US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 81, froze during remarks to reporters and appeared to lose his ability to speak in the second such incident this summer. McConnell’s spokesman said the pause was due to McConnell feeling lightheaded. Later, the attending physician for Congress announced that the senior lawmaker had been medically evaluated and given the go-ahead to continue with his schedule as normal.
This is not the first such incident as McConnell similarly fell silent partway through a press conference in July. He briefly departed the presser before later returning, claiming he felt fine. Earlier this year, McConnell sustained a concussion during a fall and stepped away after feeling lightheaded, one of McConnell’s aides said at the time.
McConnell is not the only prominent member of US legislature whose health became a point of discussion. Last year, media reported US lawmakers questioning the mental fitness of long-time US senator Dianne Feinstein, who has served as a member of the US Senate since 1992, representing California. In 2023, Feinstein, now aged 90, announced that she will not run for reelection in 2024.
This illustrates a trend of US political class becoming older compared with the past, with the 80-year-old incumbent president,
Joe Biden, being the most prominent example as the oldest sitting US leader. His predecessor and likely opponent during the 2024 election, Donald Trump, is not that far behind, being 77 years old.
According to the FiveThirtyEight polling website, both House and Senate are older than ever before, with the median age for US representatives and senators being 57.8 and 65.3, respectively. Similar to Feinstein and McConnell, many of those people have been in Congress for decades.
"The US Congress and the Presidency constitute a gerontocracy, and I see no chance that such graybeards will reform themselves on that score anytime soon," John Seery, the George Irving Thompson memorial professor of government and professor of politics at Pomona College, summarized the situation.
11 August 2023, 17:50 GMT
This development has triggered a conversation about whether it is appropriate for a senior lawmaker to stay in power well into their old age, especially since there is no mechanism to remove them similar to the Constitution’s 25th
Amendment, which outlines the procedures for replacing the president or vice president in the event of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation.
While the both chambers of Congress can expel members with a two-third majority, only 20 lawmakers have been removed this way since 1789, with a majority of those cases involving support for Confederacy during the Civil War.
There have been proposals to introduce age limits for elected officials, which is also not that out of the ordinary, considering there are already minimum age requirements for holding political office.
"Now that Americans are living longer, and the consequences of having octogenarians running the country (specifically President Biden and Senator McConnell) are apparent, a conversation around age limits in needed. Public opinion polling has shown that a majority of Americans are in favor of this. It could also be a consideration for the Supreme Court, as it tends to have the same issues around older justices becoming unwell in post and potentially leaving the bench short of a member," Clodagh Harrington, a lecturer in US politics at University College Cork, said.
When asked whether a version of the 25th Amendment for members of Congress could be passed, the expert noted that even that addition to the constitution has been controversial.
"The few times in the modern era that it has been considered in relation to, for example, President [Ronald] Reagan, have caused significant unease. No-one wants to be the person informing the president that they are no longer considered fit for office," she explained.
Stephen Presser, the Raoul Berger professor of legal history emeritus at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, also doubts that a constitutional amendment is a way forward.
"The difficulties of passing such an Amendment are nearly insurmountable, and I think the real problem is a corruption that has permeated our politics. I think the question to be asked is who, exactly, is benefitting from keeping such obviously incapable seniors such as Joe Biden, Diane Feinstein, and Mitch McConnell in office?" Presser said.
He noted that seniors in
Congress almost always get reelected since they have a financial advantage and backers who benefit from their incumbency.
"I think it would be better to do term limits for Congressmen and Senators than age limits," Presser suggested, adding that "the problem is not really age, but incompetence and corruption."
1 September 2023, 14:51 GMT
