The U.S. Senate is steadily aging — but members leave on their own terms
CBC
The U.S. Senate counts prominent octogenarians among its ranks, but no 20-somethings at all.
That's because the U.S. Constitution requires senators to be at least 30 years old, with no such corresponding limit for elder persons serving in the role.
Yet recent events involving some of the oldest and most senior-ranking senators — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and veteran Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein — have renewed questions about whether an age limit would be appropriate.
The Senate membership itself is steadily growing older, and Paul Quirk, a political science professor at the University of British Columbia, points out that the party standings between the Democrats and Republicans are tight.
Add that all up, and there are potential implications for both parties at a time when they need as many members as possible to be in good health and available for contentious votes in the Senate.
But there's no simple way for parties to remove sitting senators, even if they hold concerns about the fitness of specific individuals serving in it.
"There isn't any plausible way to force them to do it," said Quirk, a specialist in U.S. politics. The only real option, he said, is to urge individuals to step down.
The entire discussion of the age-limit topic is enveloped by questions of ageism and political partisanship, as well as a lack of political will to change the status quo — if that is even possible on a legal basis — within a sharply divided political system.
"You're not going to get a constitutional amendment in the United States on anything right now," said Matthew Lebo, a political science professor at Western University in London, Ont.
On Wednesday, McConnell made headlines after he abruptly paused for roughly 20 seconds during a discussion with reporters and then left his own press conference, only to return a few minutes later.
The 81-year-old senator has since said he is "fine," but he has not offered an explanation as to what happened.
A spokesperson said Friday that McConnell, who also suffered a concussion earlier this year, intends to continue in his job as the Republican Senate leader, through next year's election.
On the other side of the political aisle, Feinstein, a veteran Democratic senator from California, has also drawn attention for health-related issues she has been going through.
The 90-year-old Feinstein — who won't seek re-election next year — has dealt with a bout of shingles, as well as encephalitis and Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Her health struggles caused her to be absent from the Senate for more than two months earlier this year.
