Once again, the members of the House of Representatives have demonstrated why we need to convene a convention of states under Article V of the Constitution to impose Term Limits.
On Thursday, July 25th, having failed once again to carry out their responsibility to pass a fiscal year budget because members could not or would not come to a consensus, the Speaker of the House chose to cancel any further votes for the final week of July. Rather than requiring members to remain in Washington and continue working on the budget until it was completed, Speaker Johnson sent the lawmakers home a week early for their annual August recess.
This means lawmakers will go home to their districts for six weeks before returning on September 9th. Then, they’ll have just three weeks to pass a spending bill to keep the government open before fiscal 2024 ends.
The decision comes after the House struggled to pass all 12 appropriations bills by the end of July. It has only managed to pass four so far, with the others either failing on the floor or being pulled from consideration because of a lack of support from House Republicans.
This means that Congress will likely once again abandon its plans to pass a budget and postpone the deadline until after the November election.
Even if the House managed to pass all of its appropriations bills before the annual recess, the Senate has yet to pass any of its spending bills, as Democratic leaders and the White House have indicated they would delay the process until after the November election, when it’s clearer who will be president in 2025 and which party will control the upper chamber.
This is not how any business or corporation in our country would react when a project or mission has not been completed within the allotted time. Private businesses and corporations expect their employees to remain working on the issue until it has been accomplished. Only then are they allowed to go on vacation.
Why should we expect anything less of those we elect to go to Washington to do the people’s business? Passing a fiscal year budget is critical to our Nation’s infrastructure operations, and no reason should be allowed for postponing that obligation.
Members of Congress have become far too comfortable in their belief that repeated failures on their part to meet their obligations will go without consequences, with no apparent concern for the impact their repeated failures will have on those they swore to protect and represent.
Far too many have been serving for years and have learned that their unacceptable job performance will not prevent them from being reelected. Therefore, it is incumbent upon “We the People” to take matters into our own hands, as our Founding Fathers intended, and impose Term Limits. In this manner, at least those incompetent in carrying out their responsibilities will be limited by a fixed term.
We must join forces and support the Convention of States Action movement to add a much-needed amendment to the Constitution calling for Term Limits. In North Carolina, our Resolution calling for convening a convention of states is stalled in the State Senate. We need everyone to contact their senators and implore them to support the passage of HJR 235.
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