“This power play is aimed exclusively at
lining the pockets of leadership for years
to come.”- USTL President Philip Blumel
January 6, 2009: US Term Limits President, Philip Blumel, today sent an open letter to United States House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, warning of a backlash if House rules are amended to eliminate term limits on committee chairmanships.
“It’s pretty cut and dry; Americans love term limits,” said Blumel. “I don’t understand why these politicians continue to play this game. We conducted national polling earlier this year, and 83 percent of respondents indicated they support the idea of term limits. Strong support for term limits has never changed.”
Term limits on committee chairs was originally passed in 1995, and has been in place ever since. Over 80 percent of the members voted in favor of the rule, when it was first enacted. In 2007, Speaker Pelosi successfully pushed for the rule to be continued.
Blumel concluded, “Congress’s approval rating is abysmal, and it’s because of backroom deals like this aimed at benefiting themselves instead of their constituents. If House members wanted to pass a rule that would make serious changes, why not limit themselves to four terms in the House.”
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US Term Limits is a 501(C)4 issue advocacy organization dedicated to promoting term limits at all levels of government. For more information on USTL or term limits, please contact us at (703) 383-0907 or visit us on the web at www.termlimits.org
