by Noah Bair ’24

In a country where the average age of an American is just under 39 years old, it is unacceptable that the average U.S. Senator is 64 years old and the average age of a member of the U.S. House of Representatives is 57 years old. Now more than ever, members of Congress are anything but most Americans’ “representatives” in Washington. The current Congress is the third oldest since 1789, and there’s no signs of a major shift to younger officials on the horizon.

The oldest member of the 118th congress was Democratic Senator from California, Dianne Feinstein, who was 90 years old when she passed away last month. Feinstein had a number of age-related health issues, including being in the hospital and absent from Congress from February to May of this year. Having a Congressional representative, especially in the Senate, be absent for extended periods of time is very disruptive to the democratic system. Without Feinstein, Democrats were unable to pass key legislation through the Senate as well as confirm judges to federal courts.

While Feinstein may have been the oldest member of Congress, she is not the only one who has been the subject of health-related controversy. In the last two months, Mitch McConnell, an 81 year old Senator from Kentucky, has frozen twice during press conferences and has been unable to move or answer questions. Many have speculated that McConnell has suffered a stroke, but he denies any serious medical event occurred regardless of what viewers clearly saw with their own eyes.

While there are certainly instances of there being issues with old politicians, it is unfair to say that all old politicians pose a problem. Nancy Pelosi, who is 83, has been a very productive member of Congress, including being Speaker of the House. But, even after her term as Speaker is over, she plans to run again in 2024 and would be 86 when her next term is finished in 2026. Pelosi is yet another example of an elected official who doesn’t know how to retire even after a storied political career full of accomplishments.

Studies have shown that people above 75 years of age have lower cognitive abilities, worse memories, and are more likely to suffer major medical events such as strokes or heart attacks. Right now, 16 percent of the Senate is over that age threshold. There should be laws implemented that those 75 or above are not allowed to run for Congress, which will ensure that our representatives will become truly representative of the country they serve. It is a major concern that a large portion of Congress cannot be trusted with their health, memory, and other issues that come with old age.