Around 90 years ago, the U.S. was in the midst of the Great Depression, World War II had not started and segregation was still legal. All of these and more troubling remnants of our country’s past occurred while our longest-standing U.S. senator Chuck Grassley was alive. In 1981, when Grassley was elected to the Senate, the Aids Crisis was beginning and Miami was facing a war with drugs and cocaine.

Over 40 years later, Grassley’s grandson, Patrick Grassley, is now 40 years old and serving his eighth term in the House of Representatives. If Grassley can call his grandson a coworker, it is clear that the U.S. Congress needs new blood. 

This signifies a large issue in the American Government: politicians are just too old.

We do not expect firefighters, police officers or teachers to work until 90. The average retirement age in America is 61, yet the average age of the Senate is 64. 

Earlier this year, when Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell had a publicized incident of freezing in front of the press, with the same event occurring again only weeks later, it exemplified the issue of having older politicians. If our politicians are old enough to be at risk of intense health issues or even pass away from old age, they should not be in Congress or Senate. In late September, when the death of U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein was announced, she made history as the longest-standing Senator at 90 years old. Though an impressive title, however, it neglects an important question: Why was this 90-year-old facing debilitating health issues still serving? 

The health issues do not have to be physical. The mental deterioration of American politicians is the most dangerous threat. This has previously posed an issue with experts believing Ronald Reagan was experiencing early signs of dementia while leaving office, and in the present day with the “Sleepy Joe” discourse about our current president. While this conversation is often a far-right argument against U.S. President Joe Biden, that also unfairly relies upon his issue with stuttering, to an extent, there is reason for the point. Biden is 80 years old; at 80, most people are long retired and trying to live their last years as comfortably as possible with their families. Biden is currently the oldest serving president in U.S. history and, at a time when our youngest citizens need to be protected the most from gun safety, unseen technological advancements and climate change, the question of how much we can depend on our oldest politicians remains. 

As of 2022, the average age of U.S. Citizens was 39. Yet, most politicians in government could be their grandparents, tasked with representing citizens of all generations. 

These older representatives will not be affected by the bills they pass, they will not live to see the long-lasting impacts of loose gun control policies. While children my age and younger face the threat of being killed in their schools, up on the hill, stricter background check laws have repeatedly failed. Other bills have failed  including banning people under terrorist watch lists from buying assault rifles. Who would have thought that would be considered controversial? 

The people passing these bills have not stepped foot in a classroom in decades. I have two years of high school and at least four years of post-secondary education to go. My generation will be the ones facing the consequences. 

While these representatives took office to represent us, for decades they have not. Times change, political climates move fast; we need people who can keep up with it. Every day, children in Florida are facing an onset of new laws that are destroying the public school system and endangering queer and transgender students. We need to protect these children because, as cliché as it is, they are our future. The older generations that currently sit in Congress are not our future. Their time passed decades ago — they are voting on a future that they will not get to see, and it is not fair that those of us who will see it are the ones facing the impacts.

I am 16-years-old; currently, I cannot vote and I will even miss the 2024 presidential election because of my birthday. As someone who will be a voter for many years to come, why am I being represented by politicians older than my grandparents? I want to live in a country that votes for those who cannot and protects the rights of the defenseless, and while I can honor the lifelong commitment to serving this country, at some point, the greatest service one can do is make the selfless decision to give up their seat.