Why we need term limits for Congress.

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, and consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. Both senators and representatives are chosen through direct election, though vacancies in the Senate may be filled by a gubernatorial appointment. Members of the House are elected from single-member districts. Representatives must be twenty five years of age and citizens for seven years, and senators must be thirty years of age and citizens for nine years. The Constitution grants to Congress the power to enact legislation, declare war, confirm executive appointments, and ratify treaties. It also empowers Congress to appropriate money to fund the federal government, and to borrow money on the credit of the United States. The term Congress can also refer to a particular meeting of the legislature. A Congress covers two years; the current one, the 115th Congress, began on January 3, 2017, and will end on January 3, 2019. Members of the Senate are referred to as senators; members of the House of Representatives are referred to as representatives, congressmen, or congresswomen. The Senate is composed of 100 members, two from each state. Each senator is elected at-large in their state for a six year term, with terms staggered so every two years about one third of the Senate is up for election. At its convening, a senator must be at least thirty years old and a citizen of the United States for nine years. The Constitution prohibits any federal official from simultaneously holding a seat in both houses of Congress. The House is composed of 435 members, proportionally representing each state based on population. Each representative is elected from a single congressional district in their state for a two-year term. Representatives must be twenty five years old and citizens for seven years. The number of representatives each state has in the House is based on its population as determined in the most recent decennial census. All 435 seats are filled every two years during congressional elections. The most important reason why we need term limits for Congress is because it would help to get rid of career politicians. A career politician is someone who has been in office for many years and has no intention of ever leaving. These types of politicians are more interested in furthering their own careers than they are in actually doing what is best for their constituents. With term limits, we would see a lot more turnover in Congress. This would mean that more people would have a chance to serve, and that those who are serving would have to actually work hard to stay in office. This would lead to a more effective and accountable Congress overall. There are other benefits to having term limits as well. It would help to reduce the influence of special interests, since lobbyists would have to constantly reestablish relationships with new members of Congress. It would also give rise to a new generation of leaders who would bring fresh ideas and perspectives to Washington. So why doesn’t Congress have term limits already? Unfortunately, it’s because career politicians are the ones who benefit most from the status quo. They don’t want to give up their power, and so they have been able to prevent any real reform from taking place. But if we want to see real change in Washington, then term limits are an essential step. We need to get rid of career politicians and give regular people a chance to serve their country. It’s time for Congress to finally do something about this problem, and term limits are the answer. #Congress