House Democrats on Tuesday were on the verge of postponing until 2019 a decision about whether to impose term limits for leadership to give younger Democrats a chance to move up the ladder more quickly.
“I think it will get postponed, and we’ll have a real strong, thoughtful discussion in caucus,” Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said after a closed-door meeting.
Many veteran lawmakers have shown little enthusiasm for the proposal, which was pushed by newly elected House Democrats and pitched to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., this week.
The proposal would impose caps on party leadership and committee chairs, which would open up top positions more frequently.
[Clinging on: Top Democrats resist push by rebels to limit their terms]
No conclusion was reached about the proposal on Tuesday, Dingell said, “because we need to have a real discussion with the freshmen in the room” when they take office in January.
She added, “There were some strong feelings in the room, but we are not going to deal with it today.”
Dingell’s husband, former Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., held the top Democratic position on the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee for 14 years.
The current top Democrat, Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., has served in the position since 2014 and is poised to take the chairmanship in 2019 when the House Democrats are in the majority.
Dingell said “I’m listening,” when asked about her view of the proposal. “We’ll bring all the new people in and have a discussion about what it means.”
Opponents of the move include members of the Congressional Black Caucus and most current members of the Democratic leadership team, including incoming Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who has served in the No. 2 position for 15 years.
Pelosi has not revealed her views on the term limits proposal, and her office has declined to comment.
Pelosi is running for House speaker, and while she was endorsed by the majority of her party to take the gavel, she needs 218 Democratic votes on the House floor in January to win the position, not just a majority of Democrats.
A Democratic source rejected media reports that said Pelosi must endorse the leadership term limits to secure enough votes from the dozens of incoming freshmen who are eager to shake up the top positions.
Such a deal is not required for Pelosi to win the gavel, those tracking her support said.
“She has the votes,” the source told the Washington Examiner.
