As Congress grows older, debate heats up over when to step aside
The 119th Congress ranks as one of the oldest in history, and it's leading to concerns about whether lawmakers who are running for office well into their 80s — and...
By Fox News · Fox News
The 119th Congress ranks as one of the oldest in history, and it's leading to concerns about whether lawmakers who are running for office well into their 80s — and sometimes 90s — are fit for the job. Most lawmakers who spoke with Fox News Digital defended their colleagues and said age is a case-by-case situation. But some conceded that there are House members and senators who have stayed long past their prime as well. Concerns about the age of U.S. lawmakers flare up every several months on both sides of the aisle. Longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fell in the halls of the Russell Senate Office Building earlier this month, one of several such incidents in recent years, while a recent police report reportedly said D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton appeared in early stages of dementia — which her office vehemently pushed back on. "I actually think this is not just an issue for Congress. I think this is a societal issue," Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, told Fox News Digital. "Now, if you attempt to come up with some sort of hard and fast rule, I don't know how you do that, because — I will be very candid, not using any names — I have served with certain members who, in their 80s, or even in their late 70s, have started to clearly slow down. I also serve with other members who are the same age, and frankly, have more energy than I have in my 40s." BATTLEGROUND REPUBLICANS HOLD THE LINE AS JOHNSON PRESSURES DEMS ON SHUTDOWN But Boyle cited the example of late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., who was the first female mayor of San Francisco before going on to be elected the first female senator from California. Her final years were, however, plagued by questions about her age and mental acuity before she ultimately died in office in 2023. "While I'm not perhaps at the age yet where I have to worry about it too much, at some point, we all in our careers have to think about at what point do we leave the stage?" Boyle pondered.…