Term Limits Is A Policy Whose Time Has Come

Ted Cruz announces Trump-inspired amendment to the Constitution

Carlos Garcia December 9, 2016 2:05 pm

Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

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Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, a onetime Republican presidential primary competitor to Donald Trump, has announced his plans to propose an amendment to the Constitution that would radically change the members of the legislative branch.

He wants Congress to vote on imposing term limits on itself:

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If Republicans really want to #DrainTheSwamp, here’s how to do it: congressional term limits https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/if-republicans-really-want-to-drain-the-swamp-heres-how-to-do-it/2016/12/08/7b722582-bd6f-11e6-94ac-3d324840106c_story.html?postshare=491481296087189&tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.616594b4d30a …

10:25 AM - 9 Dec 2016

If Republicans really want to drain the swamp, here’s how to do it

Terms limits would get legislators to focus on results, not reelection.

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Here’s an excerpt from his statement:

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump called for enacting term limits, and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has endorsed the idea. As soon as the 115th Congress convenes, both of us will move to restore accountability among the entrenched Washington establishment by introducing a constitutional amendment to limit the number of terms that a member of Congress can serve to three in the House and two in the Senate.

Passing term limits will demonstrate that Congress has actually heard the voice of the people.

Term limits are very popular among Americans regardless of political stripe — in a national poll from Rasmussen in October, 74 percent of American adults supported them. Critics of term limits point to California where term limits just mean politicians skip from post to post and stay in power, while seasoned lobbyists take advantage of inexperienced politicians.

For Cruz, the current popularity of the idea and the Republican control of state legislatures is why this is the right time to get Congress to limit its own members. If two-thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate agrees to the amendment, it would then go to the states, where it would require three fourths (38 of 50) of state legislatures to approve.

In October, Trump promised that he would push for a term-limits amendment.