Budd backs term limits bill for Congress

Dec. 23--HIGH POINT -- There's been a lot of heavy lifting in Congress the past year -- the tax overhaul, the failed attempt to repeal Obamacare, averting a federal government shutdown, tackling issues of immigration.

But freshman Rep. Ted Budd, R-13th, may be trying the heaviest lift of all -- passing a bill to impose term limits on members of Congress.

Budd, who serves High Point and Davidson County, is among the co-sponsors of a House resolution that would change the Constitution to limit U.S. representatives to three terms and senators to two terms. That would mean six years for representatives and 12 years for senators.

The legislation has 39 co-sponsors, but would need passage by two-thirds of the U.S. House and Senate and three-quarters of the nation's state legislatures.

Budd said he believes changing the Constitution and cementing term limits in the hallowed document would improve the effectiveness of government and the tone in Washington, D.C.

"I think people get entrenched up here and they start always voting in a way that's for the next election," Budd told The High Point Enterprise.

Whether Budd personally sticks to the idea of serving three terms remains uncertain. Budd said he won't become a career politician, but he also won't pledge at this point on his own to serve only three terms, which would have him timing out of office at the end of 2022.

Budd contends that symbolically leaving after three terms on a personal basis without having a law in place that covers everyone in Congress doesn't address the underlying issue of entrenched politicians.

"I think there needs to be something in law, and that's what I would support," he said.

Still, Budd said he wants to leave Congress, in a political sense, sooner rather than later.

"I just want to come up here, do what I promised and then be done. I don't know how many terms that's going to be, but I definitely don't want to be here forever," Budd said.

Legislation to set term limits on members of Congress dates back decades but has made little if any headway. Budd told The Enterprise he sees some reason for hope because many of the co-sponsors of the most recent term limits resolution are newcomers like him.

"It's really the spirit of this freshman class I came in with. We have jumped on this issue as a class more than anyone since 1994," said the congressman, a small business owner from Davie County.

If term limits were put in place, Budd argues the change would attract new people to Congress in both parties with fresh ideas and willing to take chances going against the status quo.

"I think it could lead to more bipartisanship. One of the things that prevents bipartisanship is those who have been here a long time, are entrenched and have a built-in power over new members," he said.

Budd has a kindred term limit spirit in the other area congressman, Rep. Mark Walker, R-6th.

After his election in 2014, Walker supported a previous legislative effort at term limits in Congress.

"Before ever arriving in Congress, I made a promise to always put the people before the politics. A core component of that promise was to never lose sight of why I was sent to Washington. That¹s why my first co-sponsored legislation, as well as my first speech on the House floor,

was in support of term limits for members of Congress," said Walker, who serves Randolph County.

Budd makes a down-home comparison to explain why members of Congress should abide by term limits.

"I'm like a gallon of milk. I don't want to be here a day pass useful," the congressman said. "I've tasted bad milk before, and it's not good."

[email protected] -- 336-888-3528 -- @HPEpaul

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