[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 4]
[House]
[Pages 4667-4670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Marshall). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2017, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous materials on the topic of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I was back in Green Bay, Wisconsin, the 
past week. Someone asked me: What is the biggest surprise you have 
encountered since being in Congress?
  I said: I will give you a negative surprise and a positive surprise. 
The negative surprise was how much of our time is spent here in 
Congress doing things that really, in my opinion, have nothing to do 
with the hard task of legislating, running around to an endless series 
of meetings that distract us from the hard work of the floor of coming 
together and fixing problems.
  I said: But on the positive side, I have been blown away by the 
quality of talent, the commitment to service, and just the incredible 
collection of experiences we have in the freshman class of the 115th 
Congress--on both sides of the aisle, by the way.
  I think we have a unique opportunity to seize this moment and send a 
message to our citizens back home that we are ready to change politics 
as usual and we are ready to work together to get things done. So today 
we would like to speak about that in general and in particular about 
term limits, an idea whose time has come.
  In my 10 years in the Marine Corps and during two deployments to 
Iraq, I saw brave young men and women from across this country working 
together, doing whatever it took to accomplish the very difficult 
mission.

                              {time}  1715

  I would submit that our constituents from across the country sent us 
here to accomplish a very difficult mission. They sent us here not to 
treat our time here as a career, but rather like a deployment, an act 
with a sense of urgency to get things done. And, my gosh, do we have a 
list of problems that we need to fix.
  Our healthcare system in this country has failed the American people, 
the Federal debt and deficit continue to balloon, taxes are driving out 
businesses and jobs, and our foreign policy is in shambles right now. 
These issues aren't new, yet they never seem to get fixed. Why is that? 
Well, I would argue because Washington isn't working for the American 
people. The people's House has become distracted and distorted from its 
original intention. It is up to us--the new Members of Congress--to fix 
that and restore the balance that the Founders and the Framers had in 
mind--the concept of the citizen legislator--people from all walks of 
life who would put aside their primary responsibility and come and 
embark on a season of service and then return home when that season was 
done.
  Today, I am proud to be joined by my fellow freshmen Members of 
Congress who are going to speak about term limits. It is my honor to 
welcome a man who served his country for a career in uniform in the Air 
Force. He could have enjoyed a nice retirement and had some relaxing 
time, but he chose to step up and serve yet again in Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Nebraska (Mr. Bacon), my 
distinguished colleague, the pride of Omaha, Nebraska, a general, now 
Congressman.
  Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Wisconsin for 
organizing this. He is a wonderful freshman Member of the class.
  I rise today in support of congressional term limits.
  In 1846, when then-Congressman Abraham Lincoln was elected to the 
U.S. House of Representatives, he was part of a freshman class that 
made up one half of the 35th Congress. In other words, half of the 
Congress were new Members when he got elected. Today, in the 115th 
Congress, our freshmen class of 55 Members make up less than 20 percent 
of this body. But here is a more stark number.
  In the last election, 97 percent of House incumbents won reelection--
97 percent. Only 3 percent of the challengers defeated an incumbent. I 
was fortunate to be one of the exceptions to these overwhelming odds.
  Since Abraham Lincoln, our country has grown, this institution has 
grown, and so has the length of time Members stay here. As a person who 
is new to Congress and is new to politics, I can tell you the reason 
why congressional favorability ratings are now at 8 percent. Our 
constituents feel that we have lost touch. The longer we stay here in 
Congress and don't cycle back to our home districts, the more out of 
touch we are perceived.
  To restore America's trust in Congress, we must institute term 
limits. Our Forefathers intended the House of Representatives to be an 
arm of government closest to the people, and to be the purest 
embodiment of a representative democracy. Members of the people's House 
were to come from different walks of life and careers to better shape 
the direction of our great country. Members of Congress were to feel 
obligated to serve by a sense of civic duty rather than a desire to 
pursue a career in public office. We have lost sight of this intent.
  The American people deserve new ideas from new faces here in 
Washington. This is the principal reason why I am here today with this 
great honor bestowed on me from the people of Nebraska's Second 
District. Congressional term limits would ensure that we send more 
successful farmers, successful teachers, business leaders, doctors, 
nurses, and veterans to Washington so that we can address problems with 
a firsthand perspective. We need more people in Congress who were 
successful prior to becoming a politician. We need to restore this 
House as the people's House.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, listening to my colleague's remarks, I 
was reminded of what another general, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, 
said: ``You know, farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, 
and you're a thousand miles from the cornfield.''
  I think that sentiment was echoed by Don Bacon, which is to say 
people who have actual experience dealing with hard problems are the 
best type of people to legislate on those problems from Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to welcome another distinguished colleague 
from Louisiana. We in Wisconsin are all honored to welcome a bunch of 
LSU fans to Lambeau Field. I won't rehash how that went, but it was a 
great coming together of two great sports fans. It was really a 
privilege for everyone there.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Johnson), 
my colleague.
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished 
colleague, particularly for not recounting the events of that game. But 
we are here, Mr. Speaker, to talk about a very important issue to our 
country and to all of us.
  Prior to my election to Congress last December, for nearly 20 years, 
I practiced primarily in the arena of constitutional law. I had the 
great privilege of litigating often high-profile cases around the 
country, defending religious liberty, the sanctity of human life, and 
traditional American values.
  I deeply revere our matchless Constitution, and I fought to defend 
its application according to its plain language and its original 
intent. I believe our Founding Fathers were divinely inspired to draft 
our extraordinary founding documents just as they did and to establish 
for us the framework of a free Republic. It has been the model for, and 
the envy of, the other nations of the world since its creation.
  America is different. America is exceptional. And we are, as the 
Gipper used to say, ``the shining city upon a hill,'' citing scripture, 
and ``the last, best hope of man on the Earth.''
  For all their merits, however, even the original provisions of the 
Constitution are sometimes appropriate for

[[Page 4668]]

modification by the people. The Founders understood this. They 
recognized that, in spite of their great wisdom, they could not foresee 
every future contingency and change in our society and our government. 
So they provided us an orderly process to amend our great Constitution.
  I am one who believes the time has come to end a term limits 
provision, precisely because the form and function of so many aspects 
of our Federal Government have evolved today into something the 
Founders could never have imagined two centuries ago.
  First, I believe the Founders assumed, I think they assumed that 
there would be a regular turnover of Federal officeholders. Why do we 
say that? Well, one of our seminal and foundational principles is the 
limitation and the separation of powers. It is one of the things that 
makes us unique in the way that we have set up our government.
  The Founders incorporated terms of service and staggered service in 
the U.S. Senate. Of course, they could have instituted term limits back 
then, but I think they believed that it was unnecessary.
  Look at the statistics of the Founders' era. The rate of reelection 
and return to Congress back then was roughly 50 percent. You just heard 
my learned colleague from Nebraska report to you here that the last 
election cycle, it is much, much higher. Now, in America, the rate of 
reelection and return to Congress is 97 percent. That is not something 
I think that the Founders would have ever imagined.
  Today, we also have fewer and fewer marginal districts. Incumbents 
often win by landslides because they have such huge advantages in terms 
of growing financial support, modern media exposure, and constituent 
service operations.
  Another modern phenomena is that studies show Members tend to support 
more and more government spending the longer they serve in Congress, 
and this is true across the political spectrum. That has created a real 
problem, because the Federal Government has grown so very large now as 
a result of all that spending. Its scope and power is just simply 
exponentially greater now than it was in the Founders' era.
  At the same time, accountability has gradually decreased over the 
years as the growing bureaucracy has developed into a sort of fourth 
branch of government. Over the past several decades, a growing class of 
nameless, faceless bureaucrats have been allowed to absorb and handle 
more and more of the authority and to handle more and more of the 
contentious and most consequential issues that face our Nation.
  The problem is the bureaucrats never have to face or answer to the 
voters. Many who have served in Congress for many decades have become 
part of what we now refer to as America's professional political class. 
Those Members have gradually become more detached, and some have fully 
lost touch with the real concerns of the citizens they represent.
  Due to the busy schedule here, Members of Congress now spend far more 
time in the beltway than they did in the founding era for certain. And 
one has to strive much harder now to be at home as often as necessary 
to keep in touch with the folks that all of us represent.
  For many, when they are here a long time, their ideals tend to grow 
old with time, their energy often wanes, and ideas naturally get stale. 
There is much to be said for fresh faces.
  In my home State of Louisiana, we instituted term limits in our State 
legislature several years ago. I had the honor of serving there for a 
short time before I came to Congress. And I can testify today, from my 
own experience, that the turnover process in the Louisiana legislature 
has been a very healthy thing for our State. There are new faces, new 
ideas, and new approaches to problems that have beset our State for 
generations.
  As in a State legislature, a term limited Member of Congress would be 
more willing to do a number of things, including act quickly to fix 
problems, rather than merely manage them or delegate broad powers to 
the executive branch and the bureaucracy. They would be more willing to 
question bureaucracies and the old-established programs. And I think 
they would naturally enjoy greater independence. Logic simply tells us 
that term limits would also allow for a greater diversity of people, 
ideas, and backgrounds in Congress, naturally evolving this legislative 
body into one that more closely reflects the people and the actual 
demographics of our Nation, as I think the Congress did in the 
Founders' era.
  Today, there is a real bipartisan disappointment about Congress and 
its dysfunction. Thankfully, our new President has taken determined 
steps toward addressing this issue. Some of these actions have already 
greatly upset Washington and the politically established. But these 
changes are important because the transparent and accessible government 
is the very basis of a democracy.
  This is why I have made this one of my top priorities while in 
Congress. I congratulate all of my colleagues who joined me in that 
resolve. I truly believe the future of our government and how it is run 
depends upon how we handle important issues like this.
  We need to look no further than our last Presidential election to see 
how out of touch the people believe that Washington can be. Polls say 
that between 75 and 80 percent of the American people right now support 
term limits for Congress, and I also believe that it is the right move 
for our Nation. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I 
think we have reached that point.
  Let's give the people a chance to decide this important matter. Let's 
go through the constitutional amendment process. Let's put it to a vote 
of the elected representatives of the people. And let us return to the 
ideals of accountability, selfless public service, and the model of the 
citizen legislator.
  I will continue to push for reforms in our government and combat 
corruption and D.C. cronyism as long as I am here. Our Founders 
intended our government was to be one of the people, by the people, and 
for the people, as Lincoln famously said. Imposing congressional term 
limits will help restore that foundational principle, and it will send 
a strong message to our children and future generations that America is 
still a country that puts national interests above personal agenda.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for bringing this to the floor 
tonight.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Johnson. And I just want to 
say that he and all the great citizens of the great State of Louisiana 
are welcome back any time to Lambeau Field. It was an honor to have him 
there.
  Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to introduce a colleague from 
Pennsylvania's Eighth District, who served his country in the FBI. I am 
now honored to serve with him on the Homeland Security Committee, to 
which he brings an incredible wealth of experience. I think he is 
living proof of the necessity of embarking on term limits and 
implementing them now.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Fitzpatrick).
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Gallagher), my colleague, for his leadership on this 
issue, and to all the Members of our class who have joined together in 
the shared belief that this institution is one of, by, and for the 
people, not one belonging to a class of professional politicians or 
partisan elites. Since being sworn in earlier this year to serve the 
people of Bucks and Montgomery County, I have made it my mission to 
advance commonsense bipartisan government reform agenda that includes, 
perhaps, the single most important thing that I believe we need to do 
in this Nation, and that is institute term limits.
  For 14 years, serving as an FBI agent, most of that time being in the 
political corruption units throughout the country, there was one 
commonality that I saw very frequently--there was an unmistakable 
correlation between the length of time in office and the instances of 
corruption, and that the lines that were very bright for elected 
officials coming into the system on day one weren't so bright in year 
7, 8, or 9, and certainly not in year 15 or 20.

[[Page 4669]]

  Even the most well-intended backbone individuals oftentimes can be 
corrupted by a system that has the power to change some people. Those 
lines become blurred over time. And it is with this background and 
these real-world experiences that myself and my colleagues are pushing 
this issue, in this House of Representatives, in this Chamber, for the 
115th Congress.
  I, myself, introduced House Resolution 7 on my first day, among other 
reform-minded measures, on my first day in Congress. This was a 
constitutional amendment that would, once and for all, set term limits 
for Members of the House and the Senate.
  As tonight shows, there is a wide range of support for this need of 
reform. And, in a time of deep political division and distrust between 
citizens and their government at an all-time high, term limits can be 
the first step towards restoring the essential bond between the 
American people and Congress.
  So I urge my colleagues to join us in transitioning power away from 
the political class here in Washington, D.C., and sending it back to 
its rightful place--in the hands of the American people.

                              {time}  1730

  I thank my colleague, Mr. Fitzpatrick, not only for his leadership on 
this issue, but on a host of issues related to congressional reform, 
whether it is no budget, no pay, or a series of other bills that he has 
introduced; and I look forward to working with him.
  Mr. Speaker, just to show that this is an issue that transcends 
parties, that transcends ideological divide, I am honored to yield to 
my colleague from the great State of California (Mr. Khanna).
  Mr. KHANNA. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Gallagher for his 
bipartisan leadership on the term limits initiative, and my friend 
General Bergman for his leadership on this issue.
  I don't think term limits are a partisan issue. The Economist had an 
article that the turnover rate in the people's House is less than 
European monarchies. European nobility turnover is at a faster rate. 
Incumbency reelection is 96 percent. When folks say, ``Why can't you 
just vote people out of office,'' it is not looking at the actual 
statistics. Ninety-six percent of folks here are reelected, and that is 
not what our Founders intended.
  James Madison and Alexander Hamilton agreed: ``The security intended 
to the general liberty consists in the frequent election and in the 
rotation of the Members of Congress.''
  They envisioned a place where people would come, serve, and go back 
home to their communities.
  Thomas Jefferson said that people ought to live, lawmakers ought to 
live under the laws that they pass. The only way we get back to our 
founding ideals is if we pass some version of term limits so that 
people do their public service, and then return to the communities 
where they reside.
  This bill on term limits is really a move against political dynasty, 
and that is one thing that this election showed us people really were 
not for. They don't like the idea of a few families, or people 
connected, holding the reins of power.
  Let me end with someone who I think summed this up so eloquently, 
which is Barbara Bush, our former First Lady. She said: ``If we can't 
find more than two or three families to run for high office, that's 
silly, because there are great governors and great eligible people to 
run. And I think that the Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes, there are just 
more families than that.''
  This is from Barbara Bush, who understood the essence of democracy is 
to have new voices, new families, new ideas. That is why I hope that 
people across the aisle will support the initiative for term limits.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Khanna for his 
comments. He gets at a really important point, which opponents of term 
limits will say: Well, we have term limits that occur naturally every 2 
years. But as he pointed out, with a 94 percent incumbent reelection 
rate, and a turnover rate that is less than European monarchy, it isn't 
working that way, owing to the advantages of incumbency. So we need to 
take action right now. I thank him for his commitment to this. This 
really is a bipartisan issue.
  I am now honored to yield time to my fellow Marine, the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Bergman), a man who also served his country in 
uniform, and like General Bacon before, could have easily decided to 
enjoy retirement, but felt the call to step up and serve his country 
again. He brings a wealth of experience, and it is my honor to serve 
with General--now Congressman--Jack Bergman. We are neighbors. We have 
territory that borders each other, and so far, we have avoided any land 
disputes.
  Mr. BERGMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Gallagher for his 
leadership on this issue, and the leadership across the board here as a 
Member of what we--I think most of us smile when we say the freshman 
class, because when I look across the experience level of all of the 
freshman Congressmen, no matter Democrat or Republican, what this 
country is blessed to have today, as Members of this 115th Congress, 
are people who come here with the sense of mission, a sense of purpose, 
a sense that we know what we have here in this country.
  We may have disagreements as to how we are going to get to where we 
need to go, but we all agree that we need to go there. The question is: 
How do we do it?
  One of the ways you create an environment where you have fresh ideas 
and fresh ways of looking at it is to change the people who are 
presenting and acting those ideas.
  I find myself asking many times as we stand on the floor here: What 
would the Founders say if they were here today with us? How would they 
look at how we are enacting their vision of what it means to be a 
constitutionally-based Republic that is ``We the People''? How would 
they react?
  I think there are probably a few things that they could not have 
imagined. Twitter or Snapchat might be one of them--pick your way of 
communicating across the spectrum that we now have today as our 
reality. I am not saying those things are bad. They are just the new 
reality that we have.
  So how do we take what was given to us as a framework and move it 
forward?
  Well, again, my colleagues have all eloquently very well stated that 
they believe that we need to have a higher turnover in Congress. Term 
limits is going to be a very good first step in ensuring that we 
maintain the freshness of ideas.
  When you look at the challenges that face our country, we know that 
there are people out there who have chosen not to run, for whatever 
reason, because of the fact that they view they can make more of a 
difference outside of Congress. That is too bad, because we need good 
people. We need them. We need them to be here, to be part of us.
  One of the brutal realities as--author Jim Collins of ``Good to 
Great,'' you know, he talks about facing the brutal realities. One of 
the brutal realities that I believe we have to face is the professional 
politician. That wasn't written about anywhere 240 years ago. It just 
occurred over time.
  It is our responsibility--especially as a freshman class, you can 
feel the passion that we believe is the right passion to be put behind 
term limits to begin to make the change necessary. So we are all in 
this together. In fact, I am proud to be a member of the freshman 
class, and I am proud of the fact that we signed a commitment to 
civility a couple of months ago that put us in a position where we are 
finding our voice. And what you are hearing today from our colleagues 
is part of that voice says: We need to do some things a little 
differently.
  So let's move forward; let's expand the debate; and let's make sure 
that we are inclusive in everyone who wants to get their opinion heard 
on this issue; and make sure that those who have questions about what 
we mean, we articulate it because in so many areas we have got big 
decisions to make. This is going to be a big one.

[[Page 4670]]

  In the Marines, we accept the mission that is assigned; we plan and 
train for it, and then we execute it, and we get it right. And that 
doesn't mean we don't make a few tweaks in the process, but the bottom 
line is that we accomplish the mission.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask all of my colleagues to seriously consider 
getting behind support for term limits in the United States Congress.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. I thank Congressman Bergman not only for his 
leadership in the freshman class, but a lifetime of leadership and a 
lifetime spent leading marines.
  I ask my team here in Congress, whenever we are considering a 
difficult issue, to apply what I call the lance corporal test. In other 
words, how are the policies that we are debating today and how is the 
legislation that we are considering going to affect that lance 
corporal, that 19-year-old man or woman at the tip of the spear?
  I think General Bergman has seen in his career how messy things can 
get at the tip of the spear when you are far removed from air-
conditioned offices in Washington, D.C.
  I believe having more people not only with military experience, but 
with experience from a wide range of occupations will allow us to more 
thoughtfully consider how our policies here, designed in Washington, 
D.C., have real impacts on the American people and, indeed, across the 
world.
  I now yield to the gentleman (Mr. Arrington) from Lubbock, Texas, to 
talk more about this issue. It has been great to work with the pride of 
Texas Tech, the pride of Lubbock, Texas.
  Mr. ARRINGTON. Mr. Speaker, I thank my distinguished colleague for 
his leadership on this very important issue.
  I have made the statement often when I ran for this office that I ran 
to change not only the course for this country, but the culture of 
Washington. It is my strong belief that we cannot change the course in 
any meaningful way without changing the culture.
  So I want to, again, thank my colleague, Mike Gallagher, for his 
leadership in rallying the freshman class, both Republicans and 
Democrats, on an issue that I think, because of this unique time in the 
history of our country, a time that I think calls for bold action, he 
is seizing the opportunity and heeding that call on behalf of our 
freshman class. And so I am deeply grateful for his courageous 
leadership.
  Our country, the greatest experiment in liberty and democracy, was 
conceived by men of great principle; men who were committed to leading, 
to governing; and, yes--and I know this isn't popular--to compromising; 
making difficult decisions and putting the Nation's interest above 
their own personal interest. They were also men who never envisioned a 
lifelong career in politics.
  In 1819, only 1 percent of Representatives had served over 16 years. 
Now, 20 percent of Representatives have served over 16 years. The 
current scenario where Members of Congress serve for 15, 20, even 30 
years, is inconsistent with the Founders' view of citizen statesmen. We 
need an environment that encourages politicians to do what is right not 
by their party or some special interest, and certainly not to secure 
their long-term career goals, but to do what is right for their fellow 
countrymen. Period.
  I think passing legislation to implement term limits across the board 
is a good step in the right direction. I am grateful to be a part of 
this body and a part of this freshman class. It is such a unique time 
in our Nation's history.
  We need to go big; we need to go bold; or we need to go home.
  So thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Speaker, and my distinguished 
colleague.
  Mr. GALLAGHER. I thank Congressman Arrington for his comments. As he 
rightfully points out, the time is now for big and bold action. We have 
a unique window of opportunity here that we must seize. The American 
people gave us an opportunity to turn this country around, to really, 
in my opinion, save the country. But that is all it is: a fleeting 
opportunity. And what we do over the coming days and weeks will 
determine whether we get more of that opportunity.
  I thank Congressman Arrington for reminding us that this is just the 
first step; that the hard work is yet to come. We have to fight for 
this idea to implement it, and there is a lot of hard work ahead. I 
look forward to working with him on that.
  I know there is a division of opinions on this issue, and there are 
some principled arguments against term limits.
  I just remember talking with the man who held this seat before I did, 
Congressman Reid Ribble. He had spent his entire life in roofing, which 
was a nonstandard preparation for serving in Congress, but he decided 
to give up his successful private sector career to come here for a 
season of service and to work on behalf of the people of northeast 
Wisconsin.

                              {time}  1745

  He term-limited himself. I would debate this issue with him, and we 
went back and forth. Ultimately, he said something that stuck with me, 
and I think it is the most powerful argument for implementing term 
limits.
  He said: Every day, I woke up, and I knew that I had one less day to 
make a difference in the people's House. One less day. And so every 
day, I woke up with a sense of urgency, wanting to fix problems and get 
things done on behalf of my constituents.
  I just think about that whenever I consider this debate. I just think 
about, if all 535 Members of the House and the Senate woke up with that 
same sense of urgency, if we all woke up every day knowing we had one 
less day to make a difference, imagine what we could accomplish working 
together.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I thank all of my colleagues who have spoken so 
eloquently on behalf of term limits, and I look forward to working with 
them.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________