Term Limits

We need to set real limits on political power, 4 two-year terms for the House and 2 six-year terms for the Senate, so that public service doesn’t become a lifelong career. There must also be an age limit set between 72 and 75 for any elected official, ensuring that leadership remains sharp, effective, and connected to the American people. The Founding Fathers never intended for politicians to build empires in Washington; they envisioned citizens serving their country and then returning to private life.

Every politician should be required to publicly disclose all donations and endorsements from lobbyists and corporations. The American people deserve full transparency about who is funding their representatives. Members of Congress should also be banned from trading stocks while in office, because public service should never be a path to personal enrichment.

We must also ensure that those running for public office hold sole allegiance to the United States. No one should be allowed to serve in Congress, the Senate, or the Presidency while holding dual citizenship. You cannot be fully devoted to America if you maintain legal loyalty to another nation. As John Jay wrote in Federalist No. 2, “Providence has been pleased to give this one connected country to one united people.” The Anti-Federalists echoed this truth, warning that “attachment to foreign nations is ever dangerous to the freedom of the republic.” Our leaders must serve one flag, one Constitution, and one nation, the United States of America.

Politicians should also no longer receive lifelong pensions funded by taxpayers unless they have served at least 20 years of combined public service through their elected terms in Congress, the Senate, or the Presidency. Public office is meant to serve the nation, not to guarantee a lifetime paycheck.

Furthermore, no elected official should receive a salary during a government shutdown. If the American people aren’t receiving their benefits, and our military troops aren’t being paid, then neither should the politicians responsible for the gridlock.

To promote fiscal responsibility, if the national deficit rises above 3–5% of GDP during any four-year presidential cycle, then no member of Congress, the Senate, or the sitting President should be eligible for re-election unless the deficit is reduced below that threshold before their term ends. This ensures accountability for reckless spending and forces our leaders to balance the nation’s budget before asking voters for another term.

Our Founders warned of the dangers of unchecked power and government waste. In Federalist No. 57, James Madison wrote, “The aim of every political constitution is to obtain for rulers men who possess most wisdom to discern, and most virtue to pursue, the common good of the society.” The Anti-Federalists cautioned that “the longer men remain in power, the more they are apt to forget the people.”

It’s time to restore honesty, accountability, and service to public office. By enforcing term and age limits, ending self-enrichment, and demanding fiscal responsibility, we can finally return power to the people, WHERE IT BELONGS!