Ro Khanna unveils political reform blueprint with term limits and stock trading ban
Cami Mondeaux
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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) is set to unveil a plan intended to reform Congress and the federal government that includes a number of proposals that have garnered bipartisan support in recent months, such as the implementation of term limits and a ban on stock trading for lawmakers.
Khanna will announce the five-point blueprint on the House floor Thursday afternoon with plans to introduce and pass the legislation sometime by the end of the year, the California Democrat told the Washington Examiner. The bill has not yet been written, but Khanna said he expects a number of co-sponsors to join the effort, including members from both sides of the aisle.
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“There’s a real crisis of confidence right now in our democracy that people have lost faith that Congress is working for them,” Khanna told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “We’re just part of a system that has lost the faith of the American public … To get involved in this kind of political reform effort has to be serious. And I would like to see candidates from both parties that embrace the reform agenda to this consensus.”
One of the main tenets of Khanna’s plan would be to implement term limits for Congress members, a proposal that has garnered renewed interest in recent months by Republicans and Democrats in both chambers of Congress. If implemented, lawmakers would be limited to 12-year term limits, an idea that could be grandfathered in if needed to build support, Khanna said.
“I think if you don’t do that, it’s probably very hard to get it to pass, and I understand the argument saying, ‘Well, look, we finally got seniority in a system where you have to wait 10 years before the voice really matters.’ It’s hard to say, ‘OK, now you’re out,’” he said. “And that’s why you can have some form of grandfathering.”
The idea of congressional term limits is expected to garner bipartisan support, especially as House Republicans have renewed calls for such restrictions after taking control of the lower chamber earlier this year. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) has especially clung on to that demand, threatening to strip House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) of his leadership position if a vote isn’t brought up.
Lawmakers in the House and Senate already introduced legislation earlier this year that would implement term limits, which Khanna said could alter his proposal so as not to “undermine” those efforts.
The plan would also seek to enforce 18-year term limits for Supreme Court judges, which Khanna said is crucial to ensure the court remains impartial and does not become a political weapon.
“That’s a long time. They’re still independent. They’re still judges for life,” he said. “I believe that’s fair.”
Khanna’s framework would also create a judicial code of ethics for all federal judges and Supreme Court justices, a proposal that has been echoed by several Democrats after it was reported Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose luxury travel paid by Republican donor Harlan Crow.
Additionally, Khanna’s blueprint would seek to prohibit candidates running for federal office from accepting donations from lobbyists or political action committees as well as banning members from trading stocks while in office, two rules that, if passed, would have major implications during the 2024 election cycle.
“So much of the power of this country is in the hands of either millionaires and billionaires or in large amounts of money or institutions, organizations, corporations,” he said. “People are able to raise money from online grassroots sources. It’s not like you can’t raise millions of dollars individually.”
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The California Democrat is aiming to compile all five political reform proposals into one piece of legislation and hold a vote before the end of the year. If successful, the bill would significantly affect how candidates campaign next year during a crucial election cycle. However, Khanna said that timeline should encourage lawmaker support, noting such a framework would be a winning campaign message.
“This is one of the few things that I think unite people in this country,” he said.