If you ask, many Americans will tell you that one of the things they hate most about “the swamp,” Washington, D.C., is the fact that once a congressman or senator gets elected, pulling them out of said swamp is next to impossible, and the result is geriatric lawmakers being wheeled around in wheelchairs. It’s certainly not what the Founding Fathers intended. Now, one House member may have the answer to this dilemma.
In the absence of full term limits (requiring a Constitutional Amendment), we can change our rules by majority (limiting leadership, committee chairmanships, pay, and other benefits). We should. https://t.co/HgS3eGDqe8
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) June 9, 2026
Republican Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) has introduced a bill that would end both pay and power for House and Senate members who have reached 12 years of service in their respective legislative bodies. The text of the proposal reads in part:
“A Member of Congress (including a Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress) who has served 12 or more cumulative years in the House of Representatives or in the Senate, as the case may be, may not, on and after the date that the Member reaches 12 years of service in the Member’s respective House of Congress, be eligible for any covered benefit described in subsection (b).”
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The proposal also states that longtime serving members of the House and Senate, once they hit that 12-year threshold, would not only be ineligible for pay, but something that might get their attention even more: power. They would be disqualified from serving in any House or Senate leadership roles, or as the chair or ranking member of a standing or select committee. Roy stated in a press release:
“For too long, Washington has rewarded longevity with greater power, higher pay, and deeper entrenchment. If members of Congress want to serve beyond 12 years absent a constitutional amendment limiting them, they should do so without taxpayer-funded salaries and without monopolizing committee chairs and leadership positions. This bill helps ensure that public service remains exactly that: service to the people, not a lifelong career in politics.”
Roy targets Washington’s ‘entrenchment’ with no-pay term limit bill https://t.co/HVqTjXh5yc
— Off The Press (@OffThePress1) June 9, 2026
Under the U.S. Constitution, “Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings.” It also states that:
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States.
Per Roy’s bill, the limitations would be enacted:
as an exercise of the rulemaking power of the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, and as such are deemed a part of the rules of each House, respectively …
The new rules would be enacted:
with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as relating to the procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner, and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of that House.
The restrictions would begin with the 129th Congress, which would start in 2029.
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At America’s founding, the idea of serving in the House of Representatives or the Senate was simple. You served a term or two, then you came home to, number one, allow others the honor of serving, and, number two, live under the laws you enacted. Traditionally, the election process was meant to act as term limits, allowing for new members and fresh ideas to be introduced in both legislative bodies. But when you have members of both the House and the Senate who refuse to retire, and in some cases, die while in office, elections are clearly no longer sufficient as term limits.
What might be even more interesting than the bill itself will be who votes for it and who votes against it.
If the President has term limits, Congress should too.
— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld) June 4, 2026
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