Trump calls on House Republicans to let committee chairs stay on the job longer

President Trump on Monday called on House Republicans to let committee chairs stay in their positions for longer than the allotted six years.

“It forces great people, and real leaders, to leave after serving,” Trump tweeted Monday morning. “The Dems have unlimited terms. While that has its own problems, it is a better way to go.”

Trump added that changing the rule will mean that “fewer people, in the end, will leave!”

House Republicans should allow Chairs of Committees to remain for longer than 6 years. It forces great people, and real leaders, to leave after serving. The Dems have unlimited terms. While that has its own problems, it is a better way to go. Fewer people, in the end, will leave!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 9, 2019

{mosads}Trump’s call to end the term limits for committee chairs comes as several Republican lawmakers have announced their retirement in recent weeks.

To date, at least 15 House Republicans have said they will not seek reelection, with Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) announcing their retirements most recently.

Sensenbrenner previously served as a chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

Trump last year railed against the self-imposed term limits in a similar fashion, lamenting his displeasure and calling for them to be removed, according to the Washington Examiner.

“We have a lot of chairmen that left because they’re chairmen for six years, and then they don’t want to stay because they can’t be chairmen,” he said at the time.

The term limits for committee chairs are self-imposed by the GOP in order to bring new members into leadership. They were first imposed by former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) in 1994.