For Immediate Release
Contact: Scott Tillman, Phone: (321) 345-7455
stillman@termlimits.com
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Term Limits announced Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) and former Congressman David Trone (D-MD) have officially joined together to serve as bipartisan co-chairs for a campaign aimed at enacting congressional term limits and returning our government to its roots of citizen service. Their new leadership role was highlighted today in The New York Times, underscoring the growing national attention and bipartisan support behind the push to limit congressional terms. Gov. DeSantis and Rep. Trone come from different political backgrounds, but their unity reflects a broader agreement among Americans that our government needs term limits at the federal level.
“Our Founders wouldn’t recognize the 119th Congress if they saw it today. Congress is now less a representative body and more like an elite country club of career politicians who are consumed by an obsession to remain in power – a far cry from its original purpose,” Gov. DeSantis and Rep. Trone said in a joint statement. “The president, numerous governors, mayors, and state legislatures across the country have term limits. There is no reason the same should not be true for Congress. Our representatives need to focus on serving the needs of their constituents instead of serving themselves. That is why we are proud to be leading the charge for congressional term limits as friends and colleagues from across the aisle.”
The overwhelming majority of Americans support instituting congressional term limits, with Democrats, Republicans, and independents all favoring the idea. USTL’s ultimate goal is to enact a constitutional amendment establishing term limits and break the current status quo that is part of our nation’s current polarization.
There are currently two USTL resolutions – one in the House Joint Resolution 12 and Senate Joint Resolution 1 – with 103 and 18 cosponsors, respectively. Once the resolutions are passed by Congress, the proposed amendment must be ratified by 3/4 of the states. Only then will it be enshrined in the Constitution.
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U.S. Term Limits is the largest nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating solely on term limits. Our mission is to improve the quality of government with a citizen legislature that closely reflects its constituency and is responsive to the needs of the people it serves. USTL does not require a self-limit on individuals. Our aim is to limit the terms of all members of Congress as an institution. Find out more at termlimits.org/sharedvision.
View the op-ed here: Opinion | Members of Congress Don’t Leave. We Need Term Limits. – The New York Times
U.S. Rep. David Trone
A recent former U.S. Representative for Maryland’s 6th congressional district, David Trone graduated from Furman University and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Before his political career, he founded and co-owned Total Wine & More.
Trone is a notable philanthropist, having supported various causes, including criminal justice reform through a major donation to the ACLU. He has also established a public policy fund at his alma mater, the Wharton School.
A strong advocate for congressional term limits, Trone believes “public service should be a calling, not a career.” During his 2024 U.S. Senate campaign, he pledged to serve only two terms if elected. He and his wife, June, have four children and live in Potomac, Maryland.
Governor Ron DeSantis
The 46th governor of Florida, serving since 2019, DeSantis earned his degrees from Yale University and Harvard Law School. He previously represented Florida’s 6th congressional district from 2013 to 2018.
A strong advocate for congressional term limits, DeSantis has focused his recent efforts on building support for a constitutional amendment. He has traveled to several states, including Ohio and Idaho, to encourage legislators to pass resolutions requesting an Article V amendment proposal convention to put pressure on Congress to propose a term limits resolution.
DeSantis argues that term limits would change congressional incentives from focusing on reelection to achieving tangible results.
