For immediate release
January 4, 2019
Contact: Scott Tillman, U.S. Term Limits
Phone: (321) 345-7455
stillman@termlimits.com
Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Francis Rooney File Term Limits Amendment in U.S. Congress
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Term Limits (USTL) applauds Senator Ted Cruz of Texas for sponsoring a congressional term limits resolution in the U.S. Senate (SJR1) and Representative Francis Rooney of Florida for sponsoring the corresponding resolution in the U.S. House (HJR20). The proposed constitutional amendment limits members of the House of Representatives to three terms (6 years) and members of the Senate to two terms (12 years). Cosponsors of the measure include Senators Marco Rubio (FL) and Mike Lee (UT).
“For too long, members of Congress have abused their power and ignored the will of the American people,” Cruz said in a statement on Thursday. “Term limits on members of Congress offer a solution to the brokenness we see in Washington, D.C.”
Not only is Cruz the Senate sponsor but he is also the chairman for the first expected subcommittee (Subcommittee on The Constitution) which dramatically increases the odds of the resolution getting through its first hearing in the Senate.
According to the last nationwide poll on term limits conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, conducted in January 2018, term limits enjoys wide bipartisan support. McLaughlin’s analysis states, “Support for term limits is broad and strong across all political, geographic and demographic groups. An overwhelming 82% of voters approve of a constitutional amendment that will place term limits on members of Congress.”
U.S. Term Limits has secured pledges from fifteen U.S. Senators in the 116th Congress, including Cruz. Commitments were also received from 50 U.S. Representatives who have pledged to cosponsor the joint resolution in the House.
This proposal is part of a multi-pronged strategy to secure term limits on Congress. Since the Supreme Court decided that term limits may only be imposed through an amendment to the Constitution (U.S. Term Limits v. Thornton in 1995), USTL is working with state legislatures to propose and amendment through a national Term Limits Convention, a power the states have through Article V of the U.S. Constitution.
In such a divisive political climate, term limits is the one issue both President Trump and former President Obama have publicly supported.
The complete text of the SJR-1 proposal may be viewed here.
The complete text of the HJR-20 proposal may be viewed here.
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U.S. Term Limits is the largest grassroots term limits advocacy group in the country. We connect term limits supporters with their legislators and work to pass term limits on all elected officials, particularly on the U.S. Congress. Find out more at termlimits.org.