--- title: Donald Trump Wants Term Limits For Congress description: Donald Trump wants a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress. canonical: https://time.com/4535798/donald-trump-congress-term-limits/ author: Tessa Berenson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-18T20:12:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-13T17:27:49.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Trump Proposes Term Limits for Congress og:description: "They've been talking about that for years." og:url: https://time.com/4535798/donald-trump-congress-term-limits/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38346d535614072d/6988aa83cf40a8eb6ec45362/donald-trump-colorado.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Donald Trump og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Trump Proposes Term Limits for Congress twitter:description: "They've been talking about that for years." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt38346d535614072d/6988aa83cf40a8eb6ec45362/donald-trump-colorado.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Donald Trump Proposes Term Limits for Congress > Sponsored content. 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Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d836a70d-fac2-43d6-ac88-6fe6d93deb9b&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Donald Trump Proposes Term Limits for Congress [Watch (HLS stream): Donald Trump Proposes Term Limits for Congress](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/12OyiWvL.m3u8) (1:45)  _Published 2016-10-18. “If I’m elected president, I will push for a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress”_  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:27 PM UTCPublished: Oct 18, 2016 8:12 PM UTC  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Updated: Dec 13, 2023 5:27 PM UTCPublished: Oct 18, 2016 8:12 PM UTC One day after he unveiled a [new ethics plan](http://time.com/4534937/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-barack-obama-ethics-lobbying/?xid=tcoshare), Donald Trump added one more potential reform to his wish list: A Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress. “If I’m elected president, I will push for a Constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Tuesday afternoon, to sustained cheers from the crowd. “Right? They’ve been talking about that for years.” Trump’s campaign elaborated on the proposal in a press release emailed during the speech. “Decades of failure in Washington, and decades of special interest dealing, must come to an end,” it says. “We have to break the cycle of corruption, and we have to give new voices a chance to go into government service. The time for Congressional term limits has arrived.” His campaign proposed a six-year limit for the House and a 12-year cap for the Senate. Trump is correct that Republicans have been kicking this idea around for years. It traces back to the “Contract With America” that congressional Republicans proposed in 1994, which included a measure that would have imposed a maximum term of 12 years for both senators and members of the House. [The measure failed](http://content.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1967192,00.html?iid=sr-link1); it didn’t win two thirds of both the House and Senate required for passage. Newt Gingrich was House Speaker at the time and pushed for the term limit amendment, and he’s now a close adviser to Trump. Under the Constitution, the [president plays no formal role](https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/constitution) in approving constitutional amendments. ## Transcript If I'm elected President, I will push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on all members of Congress. [ APPLAUSE ] It is indeed time to drain the swamp in Washington, D. C. [ APPLAUSE ] This is why I'm proposing a package Of ethics reforms to make our government earnest once again. [ APPLAUSE ] First, I'm going to institute a five year ban on all executive branch officials lobbying the government after they leave government service, right? [ APPLAUSE ] Second, I'm going to ask congress to institute it's on five year banned or lobbying by former members of congress and their staffs that's a simple one. And they know that it should be done but they are not gonna do it but they'll do it if I get in. I'm going to number three expand. The definition of lobbyist so that we close all the loopholes that former government officials use by labeling themselves as consultants and advisors when we all know that really what they are is lobbyists, right? Make a lot of money. There'll be a lot of push back on that one, but I'm gonna get it through. I really believe that. I'm gonna issue a lifetime ban against senior executives, branch officials lobbying on behalf of a foreign government. That's an easy one. [ APPLAUSE ] Number five, I'm going to ask Congress to pass a campaign finance reform that prevents registered foreign lobbyists from raising money In American elections. Wouldn't that be nice? 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