No. There is no cap on how many terms a member of Congress can serve, and some serve for decades.
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, limits a president to two elected terms, but nothing like it applies to Congress. The only check is the voters: House members face election every two years and senators every six. For a sense of how long members stay, the Congressional Research Service reports that at the start of the 119th Congress, House members had served an average of 8.6 years and senators an average of 11.2 years.
Sources: U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXII; Congressional Research Service, Membership of the 119th Congress: A Profile (R48535).
Yes. In the early 1990s, 23 states passed term limits for their own members of Congress. Then in 1995, in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that states cannot add qualifications for Congress beyond the ones in the Constitution, and it struck down Arkansas's limits. The Court's reasoning was that if those qualifications are going to change, the Constitution itself has to be amended. Legal scholars generally read that reasoning as applying to an ordinary federal law as well, so the amendment route is the one reformers focus on.
The Constitution allows two paths. Two-thirds of both chambers of Congress can propose an amendment, or two-thirds of the state legislatures (34 states) can call a convention to propose one. Either way, three-fourths of the states (38) must ratify it. No term limits amendment for Congress has been sent to the states through either route. Some state legislatures have passed resolutions asking for a convention on term limits, and amendment proposals have been introduced in Congress.
Sources: U.S. Constitution, Article V; U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779 (1995); Congressional Research Service reports on congressional term limits.
Supporters argue that limits would bring in new people and ideas, reduce the fundraising and name-recognition advantages that incumbents enjoy, and weaken the incentive to treat a seat in Congress as a lifelong career.
Critics argue that limits would push out experienced lawmakers, and that influence could shift to lobbyists, congressional staff, and the executive branch, who would outlast the members. They also point out that voters already have the power to limit anyone's time in office by voting them out, and that a cap takes away the option of keeping a representative they like. Studies of state legislatures that have term limits have reached mixed conclusions, and the effects vary from state to state.
Sources: Congressional Research Service; National Conference of State Legislatures research on state legislative term limits.
Are there term limits for Congress?
No. Members of the House and Senate can serve as many terms as voters elect them to.
Does the president have term limits?
Yes. The 22nd Amendment limits a president to two elected terms.
Can a state set term limits for its members of Congress?
No. The Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that states cannot add qualifications for Congress beyond those in the Constitution.
How would term limits for Congress become law?
Through a constitutional amendment, proposed by two-thirds of Congress or a convention called by two-thirds of the states, and ratified by three-fourths of the states.
How long do members of Congress usually serve?
At the start of the 119th Congress, House members had served an average of 8.6 years and senators 11.2 years, according to the Congressional Research Service.
.svg)