When the framers of the Constitution were forming the idea of Congress, a bicameral body that would include a House of Representatives and a Senate, the idea was that one would be elected to office, serve a term, maybe two, then go home and live under the laws you enacted as an elected official. Needless to say, that idea has gone the way of the horse and buggy. Serving in Congress was never meant to be a lifelong career. But now, one of those elected officials is actually acknowledging that there is a problem, and may have a solution.
Politicians in DC: “DOGE engineers are too young and have no Government experience!”
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) February 11, 2025
Mitch McConnell is 82, Nancy Pelosi is 84, Chuck Grassley is 91, Jim Clyburn is 84, Maxine Waters is 84, Bernie Sanders is 83, Hal Rogers is 87, Steny Hoyer is 85.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) is a relative newbie to the Swamp. She was elected in 2022, and before that, she had never held public office. As an auto shop owner in her native Washington, she does not fit the mold of the average House member. Because just a few years ago, she was an average American with a real job, she has seen firsthand what she calls "a disconnect between Washington, D.C., and everyday Americans," and much to Democrats' dismay, has spoken about it out loud. But she also wants to address another problem, the problem of aging lawmakers.
READ MORE: North Dakota Voters Approve Ballot Measure Imposing Age Limits on Congressional Candidates
Gluesenkamp Perez says she includes the age problem in that disconnect between Washington, D.C., and voters. She stated:
"What I've heard from my neighbors, my community is this idea that this place is being run by a bunch of staffers. And we're seeing a very real decline in confidence in Congress."
In June, Gluesenkamp Perez offered up a solution to the problem. She proposed an amendment that would require the Office of Congressional Conduct to establish a standard that would determine members' "ability to perform the duties of office unimpeded by significant irreversible cognitive impairment." That standard could prompt ethics investigations into whether a member of Congress was so mentally incapacitated that the House's credibility was impaired.
However, Gluesenkamp Perez is finding out what an uphill battle she faces. Her amendment failed in a decisive voice vote, with few if any Democrats on the committee voting for it. Even Reps. David Valadao (R-CA) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), the chair and ranking members of the subcommittee, were opposed to it. Valadao admitted to "a lot of concern with some of our colleagues sometimes when we see some of their comments," but added that elections are the way that members of Congress are deemed fit for office. Gluesenkamp Perez is also in favor of term limits, but says her amendment would give Congress a chance to "impartially evaluate these questions," while also maintaining a "representative body of all ages and experiences."
Buried in POLITICO today... Are reporters really “keeping secret mental lists” of which Democrats “are considered out to lunch”?
— Ben Petersen (@bennpetersen) July 7, 2025
Apparently, “every reporter has a story about this”
Who are these senile Democrats? pic.twitter.com/kgdmEzM86m
The question of the mental acuity of elected officials became front and center during the June 2024 presidential debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. It highlighted a rapidly aging group of politicians. In addition to the then-81-year-old Biden, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is 74, and Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Maxine Waters (D-CA) are 85 and 86, respectively. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) is 88 and has said she will run for reelection several times, but staff members have walked it back. But it gets even worse. In December, I brought you the story of Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX), 82, who disappeared for roughly the last five months of her term and was found in a Texas memory care and assisted living facility. And Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) died in office at age 90.
ALSO READ: More Tales From the Swamp - Here's Where Missing Congresswoman Kay Granger Was Found
If there is still such a thing as a moderate Democrat, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez might be described as such. It might sound like a lot of political speak, but she is not backing down from trying to gain support from her fellow Democrats for her proposal, saying:
"It's clear people want systemic reform. They want accountability. If we are going to ... persist in a system of co-equal branches of government, I think this is a really important question to take up."
Elderly lawmakers might be the least of the Democrats' problems. But like all the other ones, do they have the will to solve it?
Ya think? I mean it's been geriatric bingo for decades. I still don't trust any party anymore because if they are this old why would they care they won't be around to see the mistakes made
— Pixel Girl (@pixelgirl) July 14, 2025
House Democrat floats radical solution to Congress' age problem https://t.co/4WLVXqBa82
Editor's Note: This article was updated to note that Rep. Valadao is a Republican, not a Democrat. We regret the error.
Editor's Note: President Trump is leading America into the "Golden Age" as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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