Speaker Paul Ryan might want to rethink his support of President-elect Trump’s term-limit proposal. If it became law, the Wisconsin lawmaker and almost his entire leadership team would be out of a job.
A relic of the Contract with America, term limits are often discussed and seldom considered carefully. Their adoption would require two-thirds of Congress to vote for a constitutional amendment, and against their own interest. That’s why they’re not realistic and why Republicans aren’t serious about them.
During a press conference Thursday, Ryan told reporters that he has “long been in favor of term limits, since before I came here.” If those are Trump’s brand of term limits though, the math isn’t on the speaker’s side.
The president-elect has called for a three-term limit for the House members. That’d mean every member of Congress would max out after six years on Capitol Hill. And if the term limits were retroactive, the current leadership roster would be wiped out.
After 18 years in Congress, Ryan would be out of luck and so would Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who has been a congressman for 11 years. Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., would also be done after eight years.
Conference Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers‘ 12 years would disqualify her from office. In Congress since 2013, Policy Committee Chairman Luke Messer, R-Ind., would be the lone survivor.
It’d be hara-kiri in the speaker’s office. But it will never happen, because term limits are a political impossibility.
Several states have adopted term limits, but they’re a non-starter at the federal level. In 1995, Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., introduced a bill calling for a constitutional amendment on the House floor. It won a majority, with 227 votes, but fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass.
If you ask the Founding Fathers about the episodes, they’d tell you that’s a good thing.
James Madison rejected the idea of term limits, writing in Federalist 53 that limiting tenure would reduce legislative excellence. Madison wanted members with “superior talents” to stick around to keep political noobs with “less information” from “falling into the snares that may be laid before them.” Turns out, legislating isn’t as easy as campaigning.
More than politics, the business of manufacturing law requires an understanding of overarching ideals and specific details. The tax law quarterback for Republicans, Ryan earned his spot as Ways and Means Chairman because he knows the principle and the intricate policy. Term-limiting out that expertise would be a strategic mistake for the GOP conference.
That’s true especially now. Each member of Republican House leadership is under 51. Young and with long careers ahead of them, the current roster is set to run the board for years.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
