It Must Be Said...When Leaders Stay Too Long, the People Pay

Time for political leaders to step aside and trust that the next generation won't let the house burn.

Congress passed the bill—one party may have done it through undemocratic means, but the other bears blame for refusing to make space for new leadership.

The big, beautiful bill passed Congress by a single vote. Just one. And while headlines frame it as a political win, the more telling story is who wasn’t allowed to participate—and why.

Sylvester Turner’s seat was empty. Not because his constituents were silent, but because a Republican governor refused to call a special election. That entire district was effectively erased from one of the most consequential votes in recent history.

Turner had replaced Sheila Jackson Lee, who held the seat for decades and also died in office. Some say she ran despite knowing she had terminal cancer, choosing not to make space for a new generation of leadership. It’s a decision that reflects a much larger issue.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stayed on the bench despite calls to retire during the Obama administration. She passed away in office, and her death shifted the balance of the Court. When Justice Scalia died, Mitch McConnell outright refused to give Obama’s nominee a hearing—then fast-tracked Amy Coney Barrett just days before the 2020 election.

Now, Rep. Jim Clyburn, 84, recently told reporters that giving up his House seat would mean giving up his life. But public service doesn’t have to end when someone steps aside. Clyburn—one of the most respected and consequential Black lawmakers in U.S. history—has an opportunity to mentor, guide, and pour into the next generation of leaders. Stepping back from elected office isn’t the end of a life of purpose; it’s a shift into a new one.

His comment sparked backlash from younger Democrats like DNC Vice Chair David Hogg, who argued that congressional seats belong to the people—not the politicians who occupy them.

And they’re right.

The average American is 39 years old. The average member of Congress is over 58—and in leadership, it’s even older. Today, more members of Congress are closer to 90 than 40. Entire generations are being governed by people who’ve refused to step aside, even as their grip tightens around the same levers of power.

Meanwhile, what does this bill actually do? It makes the Trump-era tax cuts permanent—cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy and corporations—while pulling funding from the very programs that support working and poor families. Medicaid. SNAP. Clean energy investments. All on the chopping block. And tariffs that disproportionately hurt low-income Americans are being sold as a revenue solution.

What we’re witnessing is a pattern: leaders staying too long, parties playing power games, and everyday people left without a voice.

The bill passed. But not with a mandate. It passed through silence—through vacancy, through manipulation, and through a political system that prioritizes its own survival over the people it claims to serve.

A Personal Perspective

I grew up in church. I’ve seen what happens when leadership makes space—and when it clings to power.

I’ve witnessed great expansions where new members were coming in droves—so many that the pews could barely contain them. The catalyst? A new, younger pastor. Someone with vision, administrative skill, and a message that resonated. But I’ve also seen the opposite: churches in slow decline, with aging pastors unable—or unwilling—to let go. Once-vibrant ministries became shells of what they were. The message no longer connected, the energy faded, and buildings once full of life slipped into disrepair—all because one person refused to step aside.

That’s why Rep. Clyburn’s comment—that giving up his House seat would mean giving up his life—was troubling to say the least. That’s not just a personal fear. That’s a generational chokehold. He made his personal struggle with identity and legacy everyone’s burden.

When I joined my current church, I heard the story of how the founding pastor decided it was time for him to retire. Not because the church was shrinking. Quite the opposite—it was thriving. It was still attracting new residents to Houston and still held national renown. Its target market? Well-to-do Black professionals. So much so, it was known as the “silk stocking” church.

But that founding pastor had the foresight and humility to start searching for new leadership. He found a new pastor, and instead of stepping away completely, he mentored him. That new pastor, under that guidance, helped grow the church exponentially—so much that they had to build a new sanctuary. It went from being known as the "silk stocking" church to the church that, "everybody goes to." The success of that church continues today, with that multi-million-dollar building now on pace to be paid off in less than five years.

Just because you were once the greatest at something doesn’t mean it’s still your time. Seasons change. People evolve. And the wisest among us know when to make room for what’s next.

Current U.S. Congress Members Over 75

Name	Party	Chamber	State	Age
Chuck Grassley	Republican	Senate	IA	91
Hal Rogers	Republican	House	KY	87
Maxine Waters	Democrat	House	CA	86
Steny Hoyer	Democrat	House	MD	85
Nancy Pelosi	Democrat	House	CA	85
Jim Clyburn	Democrat	House	SC	84
John Carter	Republican	House	TX	83
Bernie Sanders	Independent	Senate	VT	83
Frederica Wilson	Democrat	House	FL	82
Rosa DeLauro	Democrat	House	CT	82
Jim Risch	Republican	Senate	ID	82
Virginia Foxx	Republican	House	NC	81
Angus King	Independent	Senate	ME	81
Dick Durbin	Democrat	Senate	IL	80
Bonnie Watson Coleman	Democrat	House	NJ	80
Doris Matsui	Democrat	House	CA	80
John Garamendi	Democrat	House	CA	80
Emanuel Cleaver	Democrat	House	MO	80
David Scott	Democrat	House	GA	79
Jan Schakowsky	Democrat	House	IL	78
Marcy Kaptur	Democrat	House	OH	78
Lloyd Doggett	Democrat	House	TX	78
Alma Adams	Democrat	House	NC	78
Jerry Nadler	Democrat	House	NY	77
Al Green	Democrat	House	TX	77
Bennie Thompson	Democrat	House	MS	77
Zoe Lofgren	Democrat	House	CA	77
Richard Neal	Democrat	House	MA	76
Steve Cohen	Democrat	House	TN	75
Joyce Beatty	Democrat	House	OH	75

U.S. Congress members who died in office between 2015 and 2025

Name	Party	State	Chamber	Date of Death	Age
Alan Nunnelee	Republican	MS	House	2015-02-06	56
John Lewis	Democrat	GA	House	2020-07-17	80
Ron Wright	Republican	TX	House	2021-02-07	67
Alcee Hastings	Democrat	FL	House	2021-04-06	84
Jim Hagedorn	Republican	MN	House	2022-02-17	59
Don Young	Republican	AK	House	2022-03-18	88
Jackie Walorski	Republican	IN	House	2022-08-03	58
Donald McEachin	Democrat	VA	House	2022-11-28	61
Dianne Feinstein	Democrat	CA	Senate	2023-09-29	90
Donald Payne Jr.	Democrat	NJ	House	2024-04-24	65
Sheila Jackson Lee	Democrat	TX	House	2024-07-19	74
Bill Pascrell	Democrat	NJ	House	2024-08-21	87
Sylvester Turner	Democrat	TX	House	2025-03-05	70
Raúl Grijalva	Democrat	AZ	House	2025-03-13	77
Gerry Connolly	Democrat	VA	House	2025-05-21	75