Even members of Congress admit the legislative body is stacked with aging lawmakers whose minds are failing them.
“There’s no question that somewhere between six and a dozen of my colleagues are at a point where... they don’t have the faculties to do their job.” Democrat Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, 58, told Politico.
The outlet published a series of frank interviews with 25 members of Congress on Friday in which lawmakers dished about what they hate and love about the institution—and spoke at length about the body’s aging makeup.
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“I’ve watched some of these members, and I think, ‘Why? Why do you want to be here?’” said Sen. Kevin Cramer, a Republican from North Dakota. “I just turned 64. If I die in the Senate, it’ll be because a bus hit me on Constitution Avenue.”
One House Republican who spoke on the condition of anonymity added that he has “a difficult time sometimes telling between the deterioration of members and a handful who are just not very smart.”
The median age of House lawmakers is 57.9 years, while the median in the Senate is 65.3 years, according to a 2023 Pew Research Center analysis. Concerns about lawmakers’ age and ability to do the job after decades in leadership have become a regular source of controversy in recent years.
Former Texas Rep. Kay Granger, 82, was asked to step down in March of 2024 after her son, Brandon Granger, disclosed that she was living in an assisted-living facility and was experiencing “dementia issues.”
The late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 90, missed dozens of Senate votes toward the end of her tenure as her health faltered, leading her to step down in Feb. 2023. She died seven months later.
“In Feinstein’s case, it was just not being able to do the job,” Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, explained. “If you’re missing votes, if you’re not participating in meetings—if someone is really in decline where they’re not being able to do the job—they need to step aside.”
Democratic Rep. Don Beyer suggested that political leaders have a moral obligation to pressure colleagues who are faltering to step down.
“Leadership probably has a responsibility, on both sides, when somebody’s getting past their due date, to really encourage them to step aside, like Kay Granger last summer,” the 74-year-old said. “I knew it was hard for them because the votes were so close, so they had a reason not to do it. But if they had a comfortable minority or majority, it would have been very good to say, ‘Please retire.’”
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, 44, said placing age limits on members of Congress may be one solution.
“I think imposing an age limit to serve in Congress is not a terrible idea,” she said.
Democrat Sen. John Fetterman, 55, on the other hand, stressed that it is voters who should decide if someone is too old to serve.
“I’m not sure why some people would choose to hang on until the end, but I think ultimately that’s what the voters decide,” he told the outlet.
Republican Rep. Austin Scott, 55, pinpointed when it might be time to step down: “When you no longer think you can make a difference.”
