House Republicans for decades have prided themselves on their strict three-term limit for committee leaders, saying it promotes fresh blood in the party ranks.
But that limit has grown less strict in recent years, and a growing number of GOP lawmakers are aching for a crackdown.
Three of the 20 sitting House chairs have signaled interest in applying for a waiver to bypass the six-year term limit Republicans have had in place for more than 30 years. If each follows through, it would be the first time so many exceptions have been sought at once — and some Republicans are openly warning the practice is spinning out of control.
“We have term limits for a reason,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in an interview.
The question will be in the hands of the House Republican Steering Committee, a 35-member body representing a cross-section of the larger GOP conference. Depending on the outcome of the midterms — and the subsequent GOP leadership elections — the influential panel could also see an influx of younger members who might be even less inclined to give longtime committee leaders a two-year extension.
“They don’t owe the old guys anything,” Rep. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) said in an interview. “They don’t see seniority as the main thing anymore, because even leadership is pretty young. So this is a whole new generation.”
The up-or-out dynamic has long been a point of distinction inside the House GOP, where generational resentments have been much more muted than among Democrats — who have no committee term limits and have seen younger members chafe as veterans spend a decade or more occupying top panel spots.
This year, however, both Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania and Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers of Alabama have said they intend to seek waivers after leading their respective committees for six years already. So, too, has Rep. Ken Calvert of California, who chairs the powerful Appropriations subcommittee on Defense and is already serving a fourth term under a waiver. Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman of Arkansas has also signaled he might seek an exception.
As the chairs line up to make their case to the Steering Committee, many of its current members are publicly voicing their opposition to watering down the term limits rule, which dates to 1992 under the leadership of then-future Speaker Newt Gingrich.
“I would say waivers are rare and will remain so,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), a Steering member. “There’s also a lot of talent that has been waiting.”
“There’s a reason we have term limits — they work,” said Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), another Steering member who is challenging Thompson for the Agriculture spot.
At least one top GOP leader is sending similar signals: Majority Whip Tom Emmer said in a recent interview he’s “not a fan” of the waiver practice, while Speaker Mike Johnson, who gets an outsize four votes in Steering matters, said he would leave the waiver debate to the panel.
“We haven’t gotten to that yet,” Johnson told POLITICO. “We’ll figure it out.”
There is some precedent for granting waivers.
In 2022, North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx, then the chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, successfully applied for a waiver after Republicans retook the majority after four years of Democratic control. She argued she’d had only two years as chair and had more work to get done.
Two years later, Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves of Missouri made his pitch to stay for a fourth term, and was granted a waiver to the surprise of several Republicans.
One key factor: Both Foxx and Graves had backing from members of their committees, including those next in line for the position. That doesn’t appear to be the case this time around.
Now, not only is Scott looking to immediately succeed Thompson, but Rogers is facing challenges from Reps. Ronny Jackson of Texas, Rob Wittman of Virginia and Trent Kelly of Mississippi. Westerman hasn’t officially thrown his hat into the ring, but Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota is already in the Natural Resources race, and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona has floated interest.
“I support term limits. I always have. It wouldn’t matter if I was in this race or not,” Scott said. “There are some other people that are very good friends of mine that are termed out, and I would not support a term limit for them.”
Rogers hasn’t disclosed his specific pitch for a waiver, saying in an interview at the Capitol earlier this month that he’s “not going to talk about that before the election.”
Thompson, meanwhile, has already circulated a letter to Steering Committee members asking for their support, citing his “temperament and willingness to roll up my sleeves to get the job done.” Notably, it remains uncertain whether Congress will be able to pass a farm bill this year — typically a crowning achievement for any Agriculture chair.
Matt Brennan, Thompson’s chief of staff, said in a statement that the chair is focused on the November election but “will continue to make his intentions known to members of the Steering Committee and the conference at large in the coming weeks.”
Some Republicans believe the issue could solve itself, especially if the GOP loses its majority in November and the chairs would instead be looking at two years as ranking members. And others simply believe the number of lawmakers seeking exceptions will work against all of them. The last time multiple chairs sought waivers, in 2010, both were denied.
“The more people that apply for waivers, the less likely any of them are to happen because then you’re in a position of having to make choices,” Cole said. “Either they all get it or they all don’t get it.”
Connor O’Brien and Grace Yarrow contributed to this report.
