An old approach to draining the Washington swamp has become new again as members of Congress push for congressional term limits.
Term limits were one of the items proposed in the 1994 Contract with America, developed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Although the issue was widely debated at the time, and term limits were imposed on some local and state elected positions, the bid to create term limits at the federal level never succeeded. Although some states sought to limit congressional terms, The Washington Post noted that a court rejected those efforts. Instead, imposing congressional term limits requires a constitutional amendment, which would require two-thirds passage in the bitterly divided houses of Congress and then ratification by 36 states.
However, Republican Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin is among those willing to make the attempt, according to The Hill.
“People are hungry for a new generation of leadership in Washington, D.C. I certainly saw that in my campaign, where my youth, far from being a hindrance, was an asset,” said Gallagher, 34.
Last week, Gallagher and a bipartisan group of congressmen who support term limits recruited an ally to their cause — President Donald Trump.
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
“I’m holding true to my commitment to bring some Wisconsin common sense to Washington, D.C. and change the way business gets done. Imposing term limits is one of first ‘Drain the Swamp’ measures I introduced in my first 100 days in office, and I appreciated the opportunity to discuss my resolution with President Trump. If we’re going to end the careerism that is infecting Washington, D.C., then implementing term limits and getting back to the citizen legislator model is a no-brainer,” Gallagher said in a statement on his website. – READ MORE
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