End the geriatric oligarchy: New bipartisan bill seeks to make Congress family-friendly
Let’s be honest — Congress is old.
When the 119th Congress was sworn in earlier this month, it became the third-oldest in history, with an average age of nearly 59 in the House and 69 in the Senate. Only 14 percent of its members are under the age of 45.
It’s no wonder former Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-S.C.), once described Washington as being run by a “geriatric oligarchy.” One big reason this trend keeps worsening is the systemic hurdles that make it harder for young people — and especially young parents — to serve.
However, there’s hope. A new bipartisan push led by Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.) could break one of those barriers. Together, they’ve introduced a measure to allow members of Congress who are pregnant or with newborns to vote remotely by proxy for up to 12 weeks. Proxy voting allows members to have their votes cast by another representative when they cannot attend in person.
As I write this, Pettersen, who is nine months pregnant, can’t travel to Washington on the advice of her physician (flying after 36 weeks is © The Hill
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