Congressman William Timmons released the following statement after introducing a constitutional amendment that would limit the number of consecutive terms a member of the House or Senate can serve:

“I ran for Congress because Washington is broken. After having served a little over a year in Washington, I am reminded now, more than ever, of the importance of fresh perspectives, especially while serving in an institution that is dominated by tradition and hierarchy,” said Congressman Timmons (SC-04). “It is necessary to frequently challenge the status quo to ensure we do not become complacent and put tradition and hierarchy over good policy. Too many times in Washington, I find politicians answering the question ‘why?’ with ‘because it has always been done this way.’ This has never been an acceptable answer, but with all of the major issues facing our country being put on the back-burner time and time again (think immigration, debt and deficits, the rising cost of healthcare, etc.), now more than ever is the time for something new and fresh in an old and stale town.

“Throughout my campaign and my time in Washington, I have supported placing term limits on members of the House and Senate. Every level of government would benefit from this change. Fresh, new perspectives help guard against the dangers of complacency or concentrated power that can give way more easily to corruption in government. I am proud to have introduced this bipartisan constitutional amendment which, if adopted, would end the era of career-politicians and restore the framers' vision of citizen legislators in Congress.”

“Term limits are one of the most important reforms because they would focus Congress on the good of the country instead of accumulating power and raising money for the next election,” said former U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (SC). “Our presidents have term limits, and Congress should have them too.”

“My mission is to restore the American people’s faith in our government, and I believe we can only do that by working across the aisle to reform the way we do business in Washington,” said Congressman Dean Phillips (MN-03). “Speaking with my constituents, I know that Minnesotans overwhelmingly agree that term limits are a necessary step in restoring confidence in Congress. I support term limits and believe they would allow new generations of leadership to bring unique perspectives and energy to this body. I am proud to stand with Rep. Timmons on this issue and will continue to focus on finding ways we can work together to return power to the people, where it rightfully belongs.”

Congressman Timmons’ constitutional amendment would limit House members to serving no more than six consecutive terms, or twelve years, and Senators to no more than two consecutive terms, or twelve years. The amendment was introduced on March 5, 2020, with Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) as an original cosponsor.

The text of the amendment can be found here.