Congress: Time for a new generation

By Hannah–Kate McFadden, Contributing Writer

On Monday, Sept. 14, Mitch McConnell returned to his job as senator of Kentucky for the first time in three months. During his absence, the people of Kentucky have been underrepresented, as senators must physically be present in the Senate chamber to cast a vote. I understand that he was suffering from hospitalization and battling health issues, but that is not the issue. The issue is that this has happened before.

He has been hospitalized twice in 2026 and once in 2023. Twice in 2023, McConnell seemed to freeze during news conferences. Both times, he had to be escorted away from the conference by staff members. Health scares like this are a legitimate concern for our congressional members. The average age of the House of Representatives is approximately 57 to 58 and approximately 65 for the Senate. The oldest member of Congress is 92 years old! 

To say the least, our legislative branch is not composed of spring chickens. McConnell, himself, is 84 years old. On top of the humongous age gap, many of these legislators have served an extravagant number of terms. Senator Chuck Grassley has been in office for 51 years. Senator Ed Markey has been in Congress for 49 years. Chuck Schumer, Hal Rogers, Chris Smith and Steny Hoyer have all served for 45 years. Each of these men are considered senior citizens and have served over 40 years in Congress.

I applaud their dedication to serving their country and for trying to make the United States a better place to live. However, they need to retire. Congress is composed mainly of an older generation that has long outlived its era. A large number of these legislators have been in office for many years and show no plans to retire. Placing term limits and an age limit on Congress would eliminate this issue and perhaps allow for a new era of leadership.

I also understand that to actually get anything done in Congress requires years of relationships and experience. However, this issue needs to be balanced with the fact that the current Congress is the oldest in the world. Experience matters, but it shouldn’t be used as an excuse to serve indefinitely. It may be time for Congress to take a look in the mirror and make room for the new generation.