Ted Cruz authors constitutional amendment to limit terms in Congress

Amid renewed questions about age and health in Congress, lawmakers are divided over whether they should impose some form of term limits that limits the number of terms any person can serve as an elected federal representative.

Despite the relative popularity of the term limits idea, the debate boils down to whether implementing such a policy would hinder voter choice and make it harder for Capitol Hill to maintain its institutional expertise.

That’s the concern of Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont.

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“Voters will decide who they want. We have term limits and we have age limits and that’s the voter. And if they want to elect someone who is 80 years old or 100 years old, that’s up to the voters to decide,” Sheehy said.

Rep. Glen Grothman, R-Wisc., echoed Sheehy’s sentiment.

“I think when voters are making their choice, if they want to elect Grassley, you shouldn’t take that away from them right away,” Grothman said, referring to Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the oldest serving member of Congress.

Grassley is 92 years old.

Although Grassley remains in good health, concerns about other senior members of Congress have regained public attention in recent weeks. Lastly, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R.S.C., 71, died unexpectedly on duty last week. Before that, Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., 84, and Rep. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., 57, sparked public speculation after extended absences for health reasons.

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Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on the Senate Metro at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

In light of these recent events, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said he believes lawmakers should recognize their own personal limits but seems hesitant to agree on setting a single bar for all members.

“People need to know it’s time to step aside,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.

“I’ve never been a big supporter of legislative term limits. I’ve served two terms in every position I’ve ever held. I’m in my third term, but I’ve limited myself a little bit before because I think you have to create opportunities for others. And there’s always a dent in the pool of people who are willing to do that,” Warner said.

Other lawmakers disagreed, saying it showed many of Congress’ oldest members would seek to extend their stay in power as long as possible.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, believes it’s the way to go.

“I would like to see limits on everyone. The best limits are term limits, and that’s what we need to overcome,” Cruz said.

“I wrote a constitutional amendment that would limit all senators to two terms and all members of the House of Representatives to three terms. An overwhelming majority of Americans support that, and it would effectively solve this problem because people can’t stay here forever.”

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Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) holds a press conference with families who lost loved ones in the January 29, 2025 DCA plane crash at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on December 15, 2025. The bipartisan press conference discussed the language of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which changes military airspace policy. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

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That’s also the view of Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan. He said the long tenure of some MPs was probably against the country’s original design.

“I was a proponent of term limits before I came to Congress. I think the last thing we need here are professional politicians. I don’t think the founding fathers ever intended it to be that way. Too much power invested in one person – absolute power corrupts absolutely,” Marshall said.