Philip Blumel: Pennsylvanians unite for term limits, calling for a 22nd Amendment Day and more. Hi, I’m Philip Blumel. Welcome to “No Uncertain Terms,” the official podcast of the term limits movement. This is episode number 266, published on June 30th, 2025.
Stacey Selleck: Your sanctuary from partisan politics.
Philip Blumel: The No Kings Weekend of protest is behind us, but the deeper and more permanent opposition to lifetime tenure and the abuse of power it encourages continues. Of course, this is a movement that has existed since the 1770s in this country when colonies were actually ruled by a king. As this tradition has come to define the United States, Americans usually express it in positive, not negative terms. That is, yes, we oppose kings, but that’s because we embrace regular competitive elections, politicians as temporary public servants, self-government, rotation in office, peaceful transfer of power, and limits on power codified in law. Term limits speak to all of these aspirations. Hence, the reform is supported by large majorities of Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Divided on other less fundamental issues, Americans as a people still revere the ideas set down in the Declaration of Independence. It’s fitting then that the state in which that document was signed is currently a hotbed of term limits activism.
Philip Blumel: Let’s start with the call for the official state recognition of April 29th in Pennsylvania as 22nd Amendment Day. The 22nd Amendment, of course, is the amendment limiting the President of the United States to two terms in office. No kings allowed here. 22nd Amendment Day is the brainchild of Representative Ben Waxman, the progressive activist and former editorial writer for the Philadelphia Daily News, who now serves in the Philadelphia House. Waxman held a press conference at the Capitol in Harrisburg two weeks ago to announce the resolution, which featured speakers from Common Cause Pennsylvania and the progressive advocacy group Keystone Progress, and also a couple of fellow legislators, including Nikki Rivera of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area. Waxman ended the press conference with some words about why he is pushing this resolution. Let’s hear a short clip.
Rep. Ben Waxman: And I want to close just to say again that we are here to support my resolution to create a special holiday to honor the 22nd Amendment here in Pennsylvania. We were the 15th state to ratify the 22nd Amendment, which made us one of the states that actually counted and helped get the amendment to the point where it was ratified. Not after the requisite number of votes had been cast, but actually during the debate. And so I’m very proud of that piece of Pennsylvania history, and I’m very proud to honor the 22nd Amendment and to be joined by all of these speakers as we advocate for this and advocate for the Constitution and the rule of law in Pennsylvania.
Philip Blumel: Why April 29th? Well, because that’s the day Pennsylvania ratified the 22nd Amendment back in 1947. It had already passed the Congress by two-thirds, and then the amendment was sent around to the states for ratification by three-quarters of the states. Why now, you might ask? Well, I can’t help but answer. Why not now? Any time is a good time to reaffirm our foundational traditions. But yes, there are reasons. President Trump has joked, or we think he was joking anyway, about running for a third term. There are ways it could be done, he said. Well, yeah, sure there are. By tweaking or rescinding the 22nd Amendment. And then we have U.S. Representative Andy Ogles of Tennessee, who has introduced an amendment to the U.S. House to do just that. Here’s a clip of Representative Ogles from Fox now.
Speaker 4: Congressman Andy Ogles, a Tennessee Republican, says President Trump deserves another term in office. He posted to his social media saying, “If this week proved anything, it’s that Donald Trump has earned a third term. He outmaneuvered the neocon war hawks and exposed the pro-Jihad left while prioritizing peace. Let’s be honest, he’s the greatest leader we’ve had in centuries. And I do want to mention here, to make this happen, a two-thirds vote would be required in both houses of Congress. And then after congressional approval, the amendment would need to be ratified by three-quarters of the states.” Do you believe that is possible? Can you rally enough Democrats onto your side on that issue?
Speaker 5: Well, you know, I would say I think anything is possible in this day and age.
Philip Blumel: Well, sure, anything can happen. Well, in spite of Representative Ogles and his amendment, it is not accurate to say the current national discussion about the 22nd Amendment pits Democrats versus Republicans. Polling shows overwhelming support from the public for the 22nd Amendment, regardless of political party. And, importantly, Representative Ogles’ Republican colleagues are hardly jumping on board this bandwagon. The Ogles Amendment resolution was introduced in January and has zero co-sponsors. There is no companion bill in the Senate. This resolution is a joke, although in Ogles’ case, an apparently unintentional one. Okay, let’s go back to PA. And let’s switch gears from presidential term limits to the U.S. Congress. The term limits convention bill is working its way through the Pennsylvania House right now. Recall this is the resolution officially calling for an amendment proposing convention limited to the subject of congressional term limits. Under Article 5 of the U.S. Constitution, if two-thirds of the states make such a call, such a convention shall be held. So far, 12 states have done so, including three in 2025, South Dakota, Indiana, and South Carolina. The resolution in Pennsylvania is HCR 111, sponsored by Democratic Representative Jared Solomon. Here is Representative Solomon making the pitch on the Face the State program a couple of weeks ago.
Joel : Two more things I want to get to quickly here. We’re starting to run out of time. It’s the term limits for members of Congress, Supreme Court justice. What is the limit you support?
Representative Solomon: We’re just trying to get a constitutional convention to begin this conversation in Congress. Just to take a quick step back, people are thirsting, yearning for government that works and delivers. Key to that, Joel, is you need government that starts with itself, reforms itself, so that we better deliver for the needs of people on the ground in our 67 counties and throughout our nation. Reform begins at home. This is an attempt to get right at that.
Philip Blumel: The eternal limits convention resolution in Pennsylvania has considerable support, as over 30 state legislators have signed the U.S. term limits pledge to co-sponsor, vote for, and defend this resolution. In 2020, this resolution got a big endorsement from two political heavyweights, former Democratic Governor, Ed Rendell and U.S. Senator, Pat Toomey. They issued a joint statement, hand-signed by both of them. It’s so good, and still so timely, I’m going to read it in its entirety. Here we go. Governor Ed Rendell and U.S. Senator Pat Toomey.
Philip Blumel: “If our time in public service has taught us anything, it’s that Pennsylvanians will never hesitate to tell you where they stand. Our state is full of passionate people on both sides of the aisle, and that diversity of opinion is undoubtedly one of our strengths. But in these partisan times, it’s easy to forget that Republicans and Democrats still have a lot of common ground. We share many of the same frustrations and hopes, and we all seek to solve problems through our government. To that end, we believe the time has come for big structural change in how Washington, D.C. does business. Congressional term limits, more than any other change, would do a world of good to restore the good trust many people have lost in our leaders. We aren’t alone in feeling this way. A 2020 poll showed that four in every five Pennsylvania voters, regardless of party affiliation, favor term limits on members of Congress. At the federal level, term limits would help produce more profiles in courage. It would embolden members of Congress to cast votes based on conscience rather than maintaining incumbency. Realistically, there is little chance Congress will propose imposing term limits on itself. We can only get it done if the Pennsylvania General Assembly calls for an amendment-proposing convention to term limit members of Congress. That is an idea whose time has come, and it is one we enthusiastically endorse.”
Philip Blumel: Wow. Congressional term limits recently received another high-profile endorsement from a national-level Pennsylvania politician, U.S. Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican who represents Bucks County, north of Philadelphia. Here’s Representative Fitzpatrick on the weekly show with Jon Stewart.
Jon Stewart: I think what’s hard to watch on the outside is to see people speak out on principle and then vote on convenience. I think that’s been the toughest part to watch, is you see the theater of it, but when it comes down to the voting, there’s a real dearth of courage. And I don’t know, you know, Representative Suozzi, obviously, as a Democrat, you guys are in a different position, you’re the opposition, but Representative Fitzpatrick, you’re probably dealing with this behind the scenes.
Representative Fitzpatrick: Oh yeah, which is why I think open primaries and term limits would solve 80% of the problem. I’m convinced of it.
Jon Stewart: But that would take congressional action, and what kind of a Congress would ever willingly cede their own power? I just can’t imagine.
Representative Fitzpatrick: So how about this? If we can’t get enough of our colleagues to do the right thing and vote against their own self-interest, how about we grandfather in the ones that are sitting, and that way at least organically over time we get back to a citizen legislature? There’s a number of ways we can do this.
Jon Stewart: I like that.
Representative Fitzpatrick: Listen, the 22nd Amendment, George Washington, amongst many of his great qualities, set the tradition for term limits. All he wanted to do was go back home to his farm in Mount Vernon, live under the laws he helped pass, make way for a new generation of leadership. They talked him into a second term. He said no more. It’s a tradition that every president honored up until FDR, who obviously served four terms and died in office, at which point Congress passed the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution. But true to form, the 22nd Amendment, they applied it to the executive, they didn’t apply it to themselves. So if we can all agree that term limits make sense for the executive, why, pray tell, wouldn’t it make sense for the legislature or the judiciary for that matter? If we believe that we want new blood coming in through the system, that that’s an essential ingredient to democracy, why wouldn’t we support that across…
Philip Blumel: Note Jon Stewart’s agreement here. On the YouTube version, his facial expressions are priceless. But of course he agrees. Is there any other issue that brings Americans together like this one? If you live in Pennsylvania, you need to weigh in too. Go to termlimits.com/takeaction and send a message to the currently relevant decision makers. It’ll take you two minutes. Let’s make Pennsylvania state number 13.
Stacey Selleck: Like the show? You can help by subscribing and leaving a five-star review on both Apple and Spotify. It’s free.
Philip Blumel: Thanks for joining us for another episode of “No Uncertain Terms.” The Term Limits Convention bills are moving through the state legislatures. This could be a breakthrough year for the Term Limits movement. To check on the status of the Term Limits Convention resolution in your state, go to termlimits.com/takeaction. There, you will see if it has been introduced and where it stands in the committee process on its way to the floor vote. If there’s action to take, you’ll see a take action button by your state. Click it. This will give you the opportunity to send a message to the most relevant legislators urging them to support the legislation. They have to know you’re watching.
Philip Blumel: That’s termlimits.com/takeaction. If your state has already passed the Term Limits Convention resolution or the bill has not been introduced in your state, you can still help. Please consider making a contribution to U.S. Term Limits. It is our aim to hit the reset button on the U.S. Congress, and you can help. Go to termlimits.com/donate. Termlimits.com/donate. Thanks. We’ll be back next week.
Stacey Selleck: Find us on most social media at U.S. Term Limits. Like us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and now LinkedIn.
Speaker 10: U.S.T.L.