The Age Issue: More of Congress Is 70-Plus Than Ever Before
By: Elena Shao | Published: 2025-06-05 09:05:00 | Source: www.nytimes.com
When the current Congress was convened in January, there were nearly 120 members who were 70 or older — 86 in the House, including nonvoting delegates, and 33 in the Senate. This number, which is unmatched in modern history, included 14 octogenarians in the House, five in the Senate, and 91-year-old Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa.
Number of members 70 years or older in each chamber of Congress
In the House, 86 members were 70 or older at the start of the current Congress, a majority of them Democrats.
Seniority and longevity have long been rewarded, both at the polls and internally within the two major parties. Even so, some of the country’s oldest lawmakers have faced scrutiny in recent years over age and fitness to serve after very public episodes of…
