The United States Congress has been labeled a ‘nursing home’ after Nancy Pelosi was photographed using her walker to walk across the floor.
Heading into the 2025 session, the average age of members of Congress is 79 days older than the previous session, at 58.9 years old.
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, 84, fell in Europe last month and underwent hip replacement surgery.
She used a frame on Monday as she joined a joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2024 presidential election.
But the striking image of that moment has raised questions about whether people in their 80s should still be working in such crucial roles.
“Congress has truly become a nursing home,” one social media user wrote.
‘Term limits. That’s what America demands,” another added.
The criticism comes as 78-year-old Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House as the oldest person to be elected president.
The striking image of that moment has raised questions about whether people in their 80s should still be working in such crucial roles
And President Joe Biden, 82, has been forced to play down rumors about his cognitive decline throughout his presidency, especially over the past 18 months.
His tenure was littered with embarrassing blunders and blunders, including introducing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “President Putin” at the NATO summit in July, bumping into flagpoles and falling off bicycles.
Since then, the president’s health has been in the news again The Wall Street Journal published a story on Dec. 19 about how aides dealt with a “diminished” president throughout his term.
The report found that aides had to repeat clear instructions to Biden — such as where to leave a podium, cancel meetings on his “bad days” and keep him distanced from his own Cabinet members.
Representative in the House of Representatives Eleanor Norton is the oldest at 87.5 years old
Heading into the 2025 session, the average age of members of Congress is 79 days older than in the past, at 58.9 years old
Hal Rogers, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, is also 87
Biden is said to have relied on a narrow circle of unelected advisers and officials placed in roles usually filled by the president.
While Pelosi’s image has sparked criticism, she is not the oldest sitting member of Congress.
Representative in the House of Representatives Eleanor Norton holds that title at 87-and-a-half years old. Hal Rogers is also 87, while Maxine Waters is 86.
Steny Hoyer is 85 and Pelosi is 84 and will be 85 in two months.
Republican Congresswoman Kay Granger was recently found in a dementia care facility after disappearing from work.
A bombshell report in December revealed that the 81-year-old Texas representative, who had not cast a vote in six months prior, was discovered in a memory care facility after she was reportedly found wandering around her neighborhood lost and confused. research by the Dallas Express.
GRanger, who concluded a nearly 30-year career in the House of Representatives in January, has reportedly been living in the $4,000-a-month nursing home for the past six months.
Meghan McCain responded to As if a congressman who didn’t show up for six months wasn’t noticed or worth writing about?!”
Kay Granger, 81, who was set to end a nearly 30-year career in the House of Representatives in January, reportedly lived at the $4,000-a-month nursing home for the past six months
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, also faced intense criticism after several disturbing public episodes in which he appeared to freeze mid-sentence.
To serve in the House of Representatives, a member must be at least 25 years old, while in the Senate the age limit is set at over 30 years.
The retirement age in the United States is 65.
Pelosi was an outspoken advocate for Supreme Court term limits in 2023, arguing they would help hold powerful justices “accountable.”
She has represented San Francisco in Congress for 37 years.