Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is retiring. He cited his age as one of the main reasons.
“The fact that at the end of a second term I would be in my mid 80s and I think it’s time for guys like me to get out of the way and have people in the next generation step forward,” Romney told reporters, according to C-SPAN.
About 100 members of Congress are older than 70. The average age in the Senate is 64. The average age in the House is 57. So SAN asked younger lawmakers if they think the older generation is doing enough to prepare the next generation.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn.
“There is little political reward for preparing the next generation. Because nobody here wants to be replaced. It’s just the way it works. People, that’s why we have people in their 90s in this institution.”
“I think it’s good to have some institutional knowledge and experience to help us with that. But increasingly, we are devoid of a generation that has the competency to deal with issues like artificial intelligence, like FinTech issues, like climate issues.”
Phillips called for 18 year term limits in the House, Senate and Supreme Court.
