A former member of Congress is urging the adoption of 12-year term limits on lawmakers, arguing that the current system rewards political infighting over tangible results for working Americans. The proposal comes amid widespread public frustration with Washington, where approval ratings for Congress hover around 12 percent and 83 percent of Americans support term limits, according to recent polling.
The former Alaska representative, who served in the House after succeeding the late Don Young, described a capital city more focused on self-preservation than governance. She noted that many lawmakers prioritize stock trading, donor meetings, and partisan battles over passing legislation that addresses rising costs, housing affordability, and immigration reform. The system, she argued, is designed to keep career politicians in power rather than to deliver solutions.
“The reason immigration hasn’t been fixed in decades isn’t that it’s too hard for us to wrap our heads around,” she said. “It’s that the system rewards politicians for fighting about it, not solving it.” She applied the same logic to the cost of living, drug prices, and housing, asserting that career politicians have every incentive to prolong debates without facing deadlines to produce results.
The former lawmaker’s call for term limits is rooted in her experience in Congress, where she observed what she described as institutional rot and corrupt policies benefiting special interests. She pointed to lawmakers who trade stocks while holding access to insider information and who take meetings with industries they are supposed to regulate. The result, she said, is a government that fails to address the everyday struggles of constituents, such as skyrocketing grocery and gas prices, unaffordable housing, and difficult choices between heating homes and buying food.
Term limits, she argued, would introduce accountability by forcing lawmakers to work within a finite timeframe. “If you can’t get something worthwhile done in 12 years, it’s time to go home,” she stated. She emphasized that this approach is not radical but mirrors the accountability that working people face in their own lives. The only opponents, she added, are those who benefit from the status quo—career politicians who have turned public service into a wealth-building strategy.
The proposal includes a two-pronged strategy: first, pushing for term limits at the state level in Alaska to create a legal pathway through the courts, and then pursuing federal legislation. Alaska has previously led the country on government reform, and the former lawmaker expressed confidence that the state could do so again. She framed term limits as a necessary step to replace donor-dependent career politicians with representatives who must deliver results because their time is limited.
While acknowledging that term limits alone will not solve every problem, she argued they would force Congress to operate on a timeline that serves the public rather than entrenched interests. “Working people across this country can’t afford more of the same,” she said. “We need a system that works for them, not career politicians and the shady special interests who keep them in their seats.”
The push for term limits comes as public trust in government remains near historic lows. Polls consistently show that a majority of Americans, regardless of party affiliation, believe that Congress is out of touch with their needs. The former lawmaker’s message resonated with many who see term limits as a way to break the cycle of gridlock and corruption that has defined Washington for decades.
Critics of term limits argue that they could lead to a loss of institutional knowledge and experience, but supporters counter that the benefits of fresh perspectives and accountability outweigh such concerns. The debate is likely to intensify as more states consider term limit measures and as candidates for federal office increasingly campaign on reform platforms.
