Politico interviewed a number of House lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle who said that between six and a dozen of their colleagues have mental faculties too diminished to do their jobs effectively.
“There’s no question that somewhere between six and a dozen of my colleagues are at a point where they’re … I think they don’t have the faculties to do their job,” Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn) said.
An anonymous Republican added, “I have a difficult time sometimes telling between the deterioration of members and a handful who are just not very smart.”
One example of lawmakers hanging on too long was Kay Granger, a longtime GOP representative from Texas, who missed six months of votes even though she was chair of the House Appropriations Committee.
Granger had planned to retire in 2024, but was found to be living in an assisted living facility in Texas while still a member of the House in December.
Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) said of Granger and others in similar situations, “I do think that leadership probably has a responsibility, on both sides, when somebody’s getting past their due date, to really encourage them to step aside, like Kay Granger last summer."
Beyer did acknowledge that the balance of power can make it hard to force the issue at times.
"I knew it was hard for them because the votes were so close, so they had a reason not to do it. But if they had a comfortable minority or majority, it would have been very good to say, ‘Please retire,’” he suggested.
Then there was Dianne Feinstein, who was there unless she was in the hospital, but reportedly had trouble recognizing people and staying on top of crucial votes and issues.
Her colleague Rep. Bo Khanna (D-CA) said, “In Feinstein’s case, it was just not being able to do the job. If you’re missing votes, if you’re not participating in meetings — if someone is really in decline where they’re not being able to do the job, they need to step aside.”
Turns out it's hard to let go of power, especially when the machine around you knows that any successor would be starting from the ground up.
Sometimes it seems more advantageous to prop up a failing member until it becomes plainly obvious that they can't do the job anymore.
That's what the Democrat machine thought about former President Joe Biden--even diminished, he was better than any alternative until he got a little cocky and decided to do a debate he no longer had the capacity to even fake his way through.
His situation has shined a light on an aging Congress. With increased scrutiny, there will probably be more retirements in the near future.
