OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
3:22 PM – Friday, March 8, 2024
Senate Republicans are at odds over term limits after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he would not seek re-election.
advertisement
Senate Republicans currently have three full two-year term limits for top leadership, excluding party leaders.
Amid speculation about his successor, lawmakers are debating whether to institute term limits.
The topic was first brought up by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is running to replace McConnell along with Minority Whip Sen. John Thune (R-Texas).
In response to the proposal, McConnell called term limits “totally inappropriate.”
“Right now we have term limits. It’s called an election,” McConnell said. “During the last leadership election, I myself held a contest.”
The minority leader was referring to the time Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) tried to unseat him after the 2022 midterm elections after losing by a vote of 37-10. .
This comes amid some debate on Capitol Hill and among the American public over whether lawmakers should enact term limits for Congress in general.
In a recent national opinion poll, PEW Research An overwhelming 87% of adults support term limits. 56% strongly supported the move, while 12% opposed it.
Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) emphasized his belief that “this is what the American people want,” before saying, “Term limits will also reduce the national debt.” In a press conference with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, Brown said that the national debt has soared to about $35 trillion, and estimates it will reach $52 trillion in nine to 10 years.
“Five years ago, we had to borrow about 20 cents of that dollar. Now it’s 30 cents,” Brown explains.
Other known supporters of term limits include Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-Texas).
“The fact that we have an institutional memory of what I experienced here always lends itself to national discussions, and of course back home,” said Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.). “If you want to leave Congress in the hands of amateurs, insurgents, and special interests, embrace term limits.”
Stay informed. Receive breaking news directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts
Please share this post!
