Should there be political age limits?

The 119th Congress is among the oldest in history — 24 members are over 80, and many of them are running for re-election. Recent events have put the question of aging elected officials back in the spotlight: the extended hospitalization of Senator Mitch McConnell, speculation about President Donald Trump’s health, and lingering questions about former President Joe Biden’s final years in office.

Supporters of keeping the status quo without electoral age limits argue that age brings institutional knowledge, political wisdom, and Capitol Hill know-how. Critics counter that a gerontocracy risks losing touch with a rapidly changing culture, shutting out a younger generation from political engagement, and relying on officials who aren’t cognitively fit for a demanding job. 

A recent poll found broad, bipartisan support for age limits, with 8 in 10 in favor.

There are also growing calls in D.C. for greater health transparency. Right now, no rule requires lawmakers to disclose their medical status. Members of Congress can disappear for months with unexplained absences, leaving constituents without a representative to vote or fight for their interests. Senator McConnell has been out for over a month with little explanation, and New Jersey Congressman Tom Kean Jr. missed four months of work before revealing it was due to depression, telling reporters that he’s a “private person by nature.”

Should lawmakers owe the public more during a personal medical crisis?

Today: where does the line fall between a lawmaker’s right to privacy and the public’s right to representation? And the case for and against age limits for our political leaders.

Guests:

• Maya Kornberg, senior fellow at The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law and the author of Stuck: How Money, Media, and Violence Prevent Change in Congress

• Tracey Gendron, chair for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology and executive director at the Virginia Center on Aging

• Adam Jentleson, former chief of staff for U.S. Senator John Fetterman and the president of Searchlight Institute