House Republicans are locked in a deepening internal conflict over whether longtime committee chairs should receive exemptions from the party’s six-year term limits rule.
Agriculture Chair G.T. Thompson of Pennsylvania and Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers of Alabama have both signaled they intend to seek waivers after leading their committees for six years.
Rep. Ken Calvert of California, who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee on Defense, is already serving a fourth term under a waiver and is seeking yet another extension.
Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman of Arkansas has also signaled he might seek an exception, adding further pressure to a Steering Committee already fielding multiple waiver requests.
The term limits rule dates back to 1992, established under the leadership of then-future Speaker Newt Gingrich, and many current Steering Committee members are publicly opposing any effort to dilute it.
“I would say waivers are rare and will remain so,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), a Steering member. “There’s also a lot of talent that has been waiting.”
Majority Whip Tom Emmer added weight to the opposition, saying in a recent interview that he is “not a fan” of the waiver practice, while Speaker Johnson told reporters, “We haven’t gotten to that yet. We’ll figure it out.”
Under House Republican rules, members are permitted to serve three consecutive two-year terms as chair or ranking member of any committee before hitting the limit.
The waiver fight is fueling competitive succession races, with Rogers facing challenges from Reps. Ronny Jackson of Texas, Rob Wittman of Virginia, and Trent Kelly of Mississippi for the Armed Services chairmanship.
Rep. Austin Scott is positioning to immediately succeed Thompson on Agriculture, and has made his views on the principle of term limits unambiguous.
Austin Scott said: “I support term limits. I always have. It wouldn’t matter if I was in this race or not. There are some other people that are very good friends of mine that are termed out, and I would not support a term limit for them.”
On the Natural Resources front, Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota is already running for the chair position, and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona has floated interest even before Westerman has formally entered the waiver queue.
Historical precedent shows waivers can be won under the right circumstances, as North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx successfully obtained one in 2022 for the Education and Workforce Committee.
Two years later, Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves of Missouri was granted a fourth-term waiver, to the surprise of many Republicans watching the process closely.
A critical factor in both successful cases was backing from members of their own committees, including those next in line for the chairmanship, a dynamic that does not appear present in the current round of requests.
