Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) announced in a release he introduced a bill this week that would establish term limits for members of Congress.
The bill would limit members of Congress–in both the House and the Senate–from serving more than 12 years in either chamber, or 24 years total between the two chambers.
“Believe me, 24 years is more than enough time to serve in Washington,” Mulvaney said in a statement.
(I actually pushed for much shorter terms but compromised at 12+12 in order to gain the support of additional co-sponsors). And I want to thank my friends Steve Scalise (R-La.), Reid Ribble (R-Wis.) and Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.) for their work in getting this bill together. Now the question becomes: how can we convince enough members of Congress that they are the problem?
While the bill hardly stands a chance at passing this Congress, as leaders of both parties would likely oppose it, it offers an interesting political dynamic. Technically, Mulvaney’s proposal would make Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) no longer an eligible U.S. Senator.
Graham is wrapping up his second term in Congress’s upper chamber, and if Mulvaney’s bill were law, Graham would not be eligible to run for re-election. Graham served four terms in the U.S. House before winning his Senate seat–meaning under the Mulvaney proposal, Graham could serve two more terms in the House.
That said, Mulvaney has stated he will not challenge Graham in this year’s South Carolina GOP Senate primary.