While Democrats grapple with a generational push to oust elderly lawmakers, Republicans are confronting their own severe aging problem — with the party led by a 79-year-old president and dominated by lawmakers in their 70s and 80s who show no signs of stepping aside.
According to a report from NOTUS, some Republicans acknowledge the party “has its own ‘age problem’” as it deals with lawmakers who won’t retire and refuse to give up committee chairs.
Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, 69, chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, acknowledged the generational crisis and called for more stringent term limits to prevent lawmakers from dominating top committee posts for extended periods.
“Yeah, it’s a problem, and we deal with it better than the Democrats, but not perfectly,” Harris told NOTUS, despite being in his eighth term with 10 more senior Republicans ahead of him on the House Appropriations Committee.
House Republicans impose a six-year limit on committee leadership positions, but Harris argues the rule contains fatal loopholes. Members can circumvent the limit by jumping from one committee to another, allowing aging power brokers to maintain their grip indefinitely, NOTUS is reporting, adding that Reps. Michael McCaul of Texas and Virginia Foxx of North Carolina have each chaired two committees in the last 15 years, exploiting the system’s gaps.
Rep. Hal Rogers of Kentucky, 88 years old and the oldest non-retiring member of Congress, hit his six-year term limit chairing the full House Appropriations Committee almost a decade ago. Rather than retire, he has used his seniority to jump from subcommittee to subcommittee, maintaining power and blocking younger members from advancement.
“You’re limited to six years, but then you can go to another subcommittee. You can go to an infinite number of subcommittees. I think that is a problem,” Harris of Maryland complained.
The Senate presents a starker picture of Republican gerontocracy. Three of the four oldest senators are Republicans, including Iowa’s Charles Grassley, who will turn 93 in September. Of 37 senators aged 70 or older, 21 are Republicans.
All four House Republican octogenarians — Rogers, Foxx, Rep. John Carter of Texas, and Rep. Jim Baird of Indiana — are running for another term, showing no inclination to make room for younger members.
Calling the age disparity “stark,” the report adds that there are 35 House Republicans aged 70 or older, including five of the six most senior GOP appropriators. Meanwhile, only a dozen House Republicans are 39 years old or younger — a dramatic generational imbalance that threatens party viability.
Thirty-two-year-old Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas, the youngest Republican in the conference, expressed optimism about generational openness. “I definitely think that we ought to make sure that the party is open and welcoming to young people. Candidly, it has been very much for me, and I haven’t had, in my opinion, any issues with my colleagues,” Gill told NOTUS.
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