Age, competency questions spark debate on politicians’ abilities

(NewsNation) — When Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze up at a news conference, he inadvertently ignited a bipartisan discussion on the need for term limits and assessments of politicians’ abilities to effectively carry out their duties.

The incident marked the second time in a matter of weeks that McConnell, 81, seemed to freeze while speaking with reporters.

The episode brought into question whether age-related health issues could hinder politicians from fulfilling their roles efficiently.

McConnell’s incident follows a similar one involving Democratic California Senator Dianne Feinstein, who, at 90 years old, appeared confused during a vote, prompting a fellow Democratic senator to step in.

McConnell had suffered a concussion earlier in the year after a fall.

The debate about politicians’ cognitive abilities and age limitations comes at a time when the American political landscape is grappling with the increasing age of some lawmakers.

NewsNation political commentator Bill O’Reilly said McConnell and Feinstein should consider resigning due to their perceived health-related limitations.

The attending physician for the Senate, however, has declared McConnell medically fit to continue his schedule, attributing occasional lightheadedness to factors such as concussion recovery and dehydration.

Republican Tennessee Rep. Tim Burchett joined “Dan Abrams Live” to weigh in, saying, the “trick” to establishing term limits is defining what the limit should be.

“I don’t know. I don’t know what the cut-off would be,” he said. “You go for six, eight, 12 years, and then you have senators, what are they gonna do?”

Burchett has co-sponsored bills on term limits and knows the challenges of implementing such changes.

Under Burchett’s resolution, House members could serve three two-year terms while senators could serve two six-year terms.

Burchett noted that lawmakers themselves would need to pass legislation to limit their own terms, which could prove to be a difficult feat.

“The reality is Congress will never pass term limits,” Burchett said.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley has proposed mandatory mental competency tests for politicians older than 75.

“I don’t know what that would look like,” Burchett said. “I don’t know if it’d be cognitive skills. It would be some sort of other cerebral wonderings around your head. I don’t know what that would look like, again, the proof’s in the pudding.”

While some advocate for mandatory competency assessments and others emphasize term limits, any significant changes would require extensive support and potentially amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Watch the full interview with Rep. Tim Burchett in the video player at the top of the page.