Lawmakers grapple with questions of age and fitness to hold office in Congress

The 119th Congress is one of the oldest in history, and it’s raising concerns about whether lawmakers who run for office until they’re 80 — and sometimes 90 — 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 acknowledged that some House members and senators also stayed well past their prime.

Concerns about the age of America’s lawmakers flare up every month on both sides of the aisle. Longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fell in the halls of Russell’s Senate office building earlier this month, one of several such incidents in recent years, while a recent police report reportedly indicated that D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton had appeared in early stages of dementia – something his office vehemently pushed back against.

“I actually think it’s not just a congressional issue. I think it’s a societal issue,” Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa., the top Democrat on the House Budget Committee, told Fox News Digital. “Now, if you’re trying to come up with some sort of hard and fast rule, I don’t know how you’re going to do that, because – I’ll be very frank, without using names – I’ve served with some members who, in their 80s, or even late 60s, have clearly started to slow down. I also serve with other members who are the same age and, frankly, have more energy than they did in their 40s.”

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Recent incidents involving DC Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton and Sen. Mitch McConnell have raised questions about whether Congress has an age problem. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images; Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

But Boyle cited the example of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, who served as San Francisco’s first female mayor before being elected California’s first female senator. His final years, however, were marked by questions about his age and mental acuity before he finally died in office in 2023.

“While I may not be at the age yet where I need to care too much, at some point we all in our careers need to think about when should we leave the stage?” Boyle thought. “I think of Dianne Feinstein, who has had a remarkable and pioneering career, and yet these last few years, unfortunately and tragically, have cast a shadow over decades of accomplishments. And I think that’s heartbreaking.”

Several other lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who spoke with Fox News Digital said Congress as a whole does not have an age problem. Many, however, recognized that some of their colleagues had kept their jobs too long.

“I don’t think Congress necessarily has an age problem,” said Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla. “I think people don’t want to give up power, so they end up staying, I think, longer than they probably should have.”

Sen. Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, also said, “I think vigor is the problem. I think there’s a group of people who aren’t young, who are vigorous, and they’re popular, and they should continue to do what they’re doing. And there are others who maybe – not so much.

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The late Senator Dianne Feinstein speaks after a Senate Judiciary business meeting at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 18, 2023. (Kent Nishimura/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., who is serving his first term in the House, said he trusts the “American people to make decisions” about their representatives.

“But I also think it’s important for individuals to know when it’s time for them to step down and abandon their position,” he said when asked about Norton’s example. “And clearly there are a lot of people here who are hanging on too long and should choose to leave the electoral and political arena.”

Others, however, have more strongly denied that age is an issue for Congress.

“Look, I think voters want people to show up and fight for their interests. And I think if people are willing to do that, for the American people, voters should ask themselves if they’re who they want to run for,” said Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla. “I mean, you know, age is a number. I think people, if they show up every day and do their job, and people think they’re effective at their job, they should keep them in power.”

Rep. Greg Stanton, Democrat of Arizona, warned against “ageism.”

“We have to be very careful and not assume that someone who is older is not as tough a fighter as anyone in the caucus,” Stanton said.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, Democrat of Maryland, singled out lawmakers like former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, and Reps. Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, and Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., as high achievers despite their age. They were the top three House Democrats in Congress until ceding in recent years to a trio of younger leaders.

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks during a conversation between Nancy Pelosi and Katie Couric at the 92nd Street Y, New York, October 24, 2024. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)

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“I think it’s important for two sets of things: One is that members need to be honest with themselves, the other is that voters need to keep an eye on this as well,” Ivey said. “But I mean, you know, when they say age is just a number – I mean, Clyburn, Pelosi, Hoyer, they’re all in their 80s…at least, from what I’ve seen, they’re still exceptional. So maybe they were better 30 years ago, but it’s hard to imagine how they could have been.”

And Rep. Wesley Bell, Democrat of Missouri, another first-term lawmaker, said it’s not an issue he himself would consider in the near future.

“At the end of the day, as long as I’m able to get up every day and have the energy to work for the people in my district back home, I’m going to enjoy this blessing,” Bell said.

“I’ll start thinking in 20 years, in 19 years or so.”