On Wednesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), introduced a proposed amendment that would limit term limits for members of Congress. The bill, co-sponsored with Representative Ron DeSantis (R-Florida), would limit senators to only two six-year terms and three two-year terms for members of the House of Representatives.
With Cruz’s proposed amendment, the 115th Congress is off to an exhilarating start. On Monday, House Republicans voted to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics without notice, which they then decided against after a public outcry and criticism from president-elect Donald Trump. This all occurred before the newly elected officials had even been sworn in.
Although he was passed over for a Trump White House cabinet position, Cruz appears to be looking to make a mark in the Senate with this new proposal. As of now, members of Congress’ term limits are not limited, but Cruz said Trump’s election shows how Americans are ready to weed out the status quo in Washington. If passed, the amendment could possibly have lasting effects concerning elections, policy making, and the overall state of Washington. Cruz said in a statement the new proposal is an effort to, in essence, drain the swamp:
“D.C. is broken. The American people resoundingly agreed on Election Day, and President-elect Donald Trump has committed to putting government back to work for the American people. It is well past time to put an end to the cronyism and deceit that has transformed Washington into a graveyard of good intentions.”
The new Congress is still in its infancy, but Cruz may have plenty of taxpayers in his corner, as a survey in 2016 conducted by Rasmussen Reports found that 74 percent of Americans are in favor of term limits. However, members of Congress who would be losing their jobs may have a different opinion. In addition, the process of passing a constitutional amendment is a rigorous and lengthy one.
Cruz also tweeted out a copy of his proposed resolution.
Today @RepDeSantis and I introduced a Constitutional amendment to impose #TermLimits on members of Congress. https://t.co/jVXIbq35iu pic.twitter.com/GBjSV64x6x
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) January 3, 2017
(Via NBC KXAN & Rasmussen Reports)