Donald Trump’s push for congressional term limits centers on a constitutional amendment that would cap House members at three two-year terms and Senators at two six-year terms. He first proposed it on October 18, 2016, as the lead item in his “Contract with the American Voter.”1NBC News. Trump Proposes Term Limits for Congress2USA Today. Donald Trump Rally Colorado Springs Ethics Lobbying Limitations The idea polls above 80% with voters of both parties, but it has never advanced in Congress, and the structural reason is simple: only a constitutional amendment can impose term limits, and an amendment requires the very people it would remove to vote for it by a two-thirds supermajority.
What Trump Has Proposed
The 2016 plan set specific numbers: six years maximum in the House, twelve years maximum in the Senate. It appeared first on a list of six anti-corruption measures that also included a federal hiring freeze, a two-for-one regulatory elimination rule, and multi-year lobbying bans for former officials.3MeJudice. Donald Trump’s Contract with the American Voter The advocacy group U.S. Term Limits said the numbers matched its own preferred amendment and called a supportive president “a game-changer.”4U.S. Term Limits. Trump Press Release on Term Limits
Trump reiterated his support during his first term, including a social media post in May 2018.5Quorum. Term Limits in Congress No term limits bill advanced during that presidency, and none has advanced since.
Why Congress Can’t Just Pass a Law
The Supreme Court closed off the legislative shortcut in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779 (1995). By a 5-4 vote, the Court struck down an Arkansas ballot measure that would have kept long-serving members off the ballot, holding that the qualifications for congressional service in the Constitution — age, citizenship, and residency — are fixed and cannot be added to by Congress or by the states.6Cornell Law Institute. U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 7797Library of Congress. U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton, 514 U.S. 779
That leaves Article V. A term limits amendment can be proposed in one of two ways:
- Two-thirds of the House and two-thirds of the Senate vote to propose it, then three-fourths of state legislatures (38 states) ratify it.
- Two-thirds of state legislatures (34 states) apply for a constitutional convention that proposes it, followed again by ratification in 38 states.
No Article V convention has ever been held.8National Constitution Center. Why Term Limits for Congress Face a Challenging Constitutional Path
Current Bills in the 119th Congress
Hundreds of bills touching on the subject have been introduced in the 119th Congress, but three resolutions carry the actual proposed amendment language.5Quorum. Term Limits in Congress
S.J.Res.1 was introduced by Senator Ted Cruz on January 8, 2025. Co-sponsors include Senators Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Rand Paul, Todd Young, Steve Daines, Cynthia Lummis, Bill Hagerty, Eric Schmitt, Roger Marshall, Katie Britt, and Jim Banks.9Congress.gov. S.J.Res.1 – 119th Congress10Ted Cruz, U.S. Senate. Sen. Cruz, Rep. Norman Introduce Constitutional Amendment to Impose Term Limits for Congress
H.J.Res.12, the House companion, was introduced by Representative Ralph Norman on January 6, 2025, with 28 co-sponsors from both parties, including Representatives Nancy Mace, Chip Roy, Jared Golden, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, and Andy Biggs. It was referred to the House Judiciary Committee.11GovInfo. H.J.Res.12 – 119th Congress
Both Cruz-Norman resolutions match Trump’s 2016 numbers: three House terms, two Senate terms. The limits would apply going forward, so the clock would not start for sitting members until the amendment took effect.12Fox San Antonio. A Term Limits Amendment Could Reshape Congress Cruz has introduced substantially identical resolutions in every Congress since 2017.
A more permissive alternative, H.J.Res.5, was introduced on January 3, 2025, by Representative Brian Fitzpatrick with Representative Ro Khanna as co-sponsor. It would allow up to six House terms and two Senate terms, applying only to members first serving in or after the 118th Congress.13GovTrack. H.J.Res.5 Text – 119th Congress
None of the three has received a committee hearing or markup.14Congress.gov. H.J.Res.12 – 119th Congress15Congress.gov. H.J.Res.5 – 119th Congress
The Vote Count Isn’t Close
Proposing an amendment through Congress takes 290 votes in the 435-seat House and 67 in the 100-seat Senate. As of April 2026, U.S. Term Limits reported that 128 House members and 23 Senators in the 119th Congress had signed its pledge to co-sponsor and vote for the amendment.16U.S. Term Limits. 119th Congress Pledge Signers Both figures sit well below the supermajority thresholds, and U.S. Term Limits has flagged some past pledge signers as having broken the commitment.17U.S. Term Limits. 119th Congress Pledge Signers
The historical high-water mark was March 29, 1995, when the House voted 227-204 on H.J. Res. 73, an amendment capping service at twelve years. A simple majority. Sixty-three votes short of the two-thirds needed.18GovInfo. Senate Report 104-158 More recently, the House Judiciary Committee voted down a term limits resolution 19-17 in September 2023.8National Constitution Center. Why Term Limits for Congress Face a Challenging Constitutional Path Legislation calling for a term limits amendment has been introduced in nearly every Congress since 1943 without a proposal ever clearing both chambers.19Brookings Institution. Five Reasons to Oppose Congressional Term Limits
The State Convention Route
Because the congressional path keeps stalling, advocates have pushed a parallel strategy at the state level. U.S. Term Limits reports that as of mid-2026, 13 states have passed applications for an Article V convention limited exclusively to congressional term limits: Florida, Alabama, Missouri, West Virginia, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Indiana, South Carolina, and Kansas. Another 20 states have passed multi-subject applications that include term limits.20U.S. Term Limits. Term Limits Convention Progress The threshold is 34.
The route has never been tested, and basic procedural questions remain open. Legal scholars disagree about whether a convention can be legally confined to one subject, whether state applications expire, and what obligation Congress has once 34 applications arrive.8National Constitution Center. Why Term Limits for Congress Face a Challenging Constitutional Path21Congress.gov. Article V Convention Process Common Cause and other opponents argue that no procedural rules exist to constrain what a convention might propose.22Common Cause. Stopping a Dangerous Article V Convention Even a proposal from a convention still needs 38 states to ratify.
The strategy does have a historical parallel as a pressure tactic. State applications for direct election of Senators reached 25 of the then-required 32 before Congress proposed what became the Seventeenth Amendment in 1912.21Congress.gov. Article V Convention Process
Public Support Isn’t the Problem
A 2023 Pew Research Center survey found 87% of U.S. adults favor congressional term limits, including 90% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats.23Pew Research Center. How Americans View Proposals to Change the Political System A separate poll cited by Britannica put support at 83% as of January 2025.24Britannica. Congressional Term Limits Debate Public consensus is not the obstacle. The obstacle is that the amendment’s targets are also its gatekeepers, and no amount of polling has changed that math.
What Each Side Argues
Supporters say Congress was meant to be a body of citizen-legislators, and they point to incumbent reelection rates above 90% as evidence that the seniority system, fundraising advantages, and district design have made congressional seats effectively permanent.18GovInfo. Senate Report 104-158
Opponents cite evidence from the 15 states that already limit legislative service.25University of Chicago, Effective Government Initiative. Term Limits Research on those legislatures has found that term-limited legislators sponsor fewer bills and participate less in committee work; that lobbyist and staff influence rises to fill the experience gap; and that power shifts toward governors and administrative agencies. The Joint Project on Term Limits found committee effectiveness declined and most observers reported growing lobbyist influence.26National Conference of State Legislatures. Coping with Term Limits: A Practical Guide Term limits did not increase the number of women in office in most term-limited states, and academic research has associated them with greater ideological polarization.
Critics also note that average tenure in the 119th Congress runs about 8.6 years in the House and 11.2 in the Senate, below what most proposals would cap.24Britannica. Congressional Term Limits Debate
Not the Same as Presidential Term Limits
Trump’s advocacy for congressional term limits is separate from a distinct debate over presidential ones. Representative Andy Ogles introduced a resolution on January 23, 2025, to amend the 22nd Amendment so a president could serve up to three terms.27Office of Congressman Andy Ogles. Rep. Ogles Proposes Amending 22nd Amendment to Allow Trump to Serve Third Term In a March 2025 NBC News interview, Trump said he was “not joking” about seeking a third presidential term and stated “there are methods” to pursue one, without detailing them.28NBC News. Trump Third Term White House Methods Any change to the 22nd Amendment would require the same Article V process — two-thirds of Congress plus 38 states — that has kept congressional term limits out of reach for eight decades.