President Donald Trump on Monday called for House Republicans to abolish term limits for their congressional committee chairs, acknowledging potential “problems” with his proposal but insisting it could help curb a recent spate of retirements by GOP lawmakers.
“House Republicans should allow Chairs of Committees to remain for longer than 6 years.
It forces great people, and real leaders, to leave after serving,” TrumpTrump has previously advocated for term limits for members of Congress, but had not previously weighed in on caucus rules governing the amount of time Republican members can maintain plum assignments managing powerful committees.
GOP lawmakers are only allowed to serve as the top lawmakers on congressional panels for three terms — regardless of whether they are committee leaders or ranking members to a Democratic chair.
It is possible Trump’s latest suggestion is a reaction to complaints from House Republicans who fear the term limits are contributing to a wave of announced resignations by some senior GOP members. But while the rule has prompted complaints from some within the Republican Party, others have argued that the turnover in chairmanships has forced fresh blood into the top ranks of the GOP, unlike the Democratic Party, which imposes no limits on its committee leaders.
Former House Agriculture Committee Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and former House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Rob Bishop (R-Utah) — who are both currently the ranking members on their respective committees — said in July they would not seek re-election in 2020.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine