Congress is broken beyond repair.
Americans know it, but nobody in Washington, D.C. wants to admit the system is designed to keep the same corrupt politicians in power for decades.
And Ron DeSantis just exposed one ugly truth about Congress that has Washington panicking.
DeSantis leads charge for constitutional convention after Democrats and Republicans fail voters
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stood before state legislators from across the country at the Term Limits Summit in Delray Beach with a message Washington, D.C. doesn't want anyone to hear.
Congress is a rigged system designed to keep career politicians entrenched in power.
"People are so frustrated with what goes on in Congress," DeSantis told the packed room. "The polling's great."
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/1999309389052760254?s=20
He's not kidding.
Eighty-three percent of Americans support congressional term limits.¹
That includes 85% of Republicans, 84% of Independents, and 80% of Democrats.²
Congress has a 15% approval rating, the lowest it's been in years.³
But here's what makes DeSantis dangerous to the Washington establishment — he's not just complaining about the problem.
He's building a coalition of states to force Congress's hand through a constitutional convention under Article V of the Constitution.
And he's closer than most people realize.
Twelve states have now passed formal resolutions demanding a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress.⁴
Florida passed House Concurrent Resolution 693 during its 2024 legislative session under Governor DeSantis's leadership.
Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Wisconsin followed.
The threshold is 34 states.
That means DeSantis needs 22 more states to trigger a constitutional convention that would bypass Congress entirely.
DeSantis drops truth bomb on how Congress blocks real reformers
DeSantis brought receipts to the summit.
The Florida Governor served three terms in Congress from 2013 to 2018.
He watched the system from the inside and saw exactly how it works.
"I kind of knew the issues, but the idea that you're going to have any type of authority to be a Committee Chair, you got to be there for 20 years. You got to be there for 25," DeSantis explained.⁵
The structure blocks people with a "reformer" mindset rooted in "idealism" from working to "turn Washington upside down" and "exercise real power."
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Career politicians who've been in Congress for decades control all the committee chairmanships.
New members who want to shake things up get told to sit down, shut up, and "pay their dues."
By the time they've been there long enough to get real power, they've become part of the system.
"You have a congressman that just gets elected, you know, six years later, you're going to have an open seat, and you're going to have a chance," DeSantis said about how term limits would change everything.
The incentive structure is completely backwards.
Members spend their time focused on reelection instead of accomplishing anything meaningful for the American people.
DeSantis believes if members knew they had limited time, they'd go on a mission to make their mark.
"I think if you had term limits, I think people would go on a mission. They know they're gonna be there for six years in the House," DeSantis stated. "And maybe they run for Senate. But even if not, man, you're going to want to have something to show for it."
Here's what DeSantis understands that terrifies Washington — this is a bipartisan issue that unites Americans across the political spectrum.
DeSantis even teamed up with former Democrat Representative David Trone of Maryland to co-chair the campaign with U.S. Term Limits.
"Our Founders wouldn't recognize the 119th Congress if they saw it today," DeSantis and Trone said in a joint statement. "Congress is now less a representative body and more like an elite country club of career politicians who are consumed by an obsession to remain in power."⁶
DeSantis used a baseball metaphor to drive home just how popular this issue is with voters.
"You are never going to have a better hanging curveball politically in your career than term limits," DeSantis explained. "I could be speaking at the Chamber of Commerce of Delray Beach. I could be speaking to the Elks Club, whatever. And I'll talk about, you know, Florida, you know, we have a budget surplus. Yeah, we've cut taxes, we have this, this. And you know what? We need to term-limit Congress. Yay, everyone starts going."⁷
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The Governor travels state to state with the U.S. Term Limits organization urging legislatures to join the effort.
He told Ohio lawmakers earlier this year: "D.C. will never fix itself. Term limits will change the incentives for members of Congress from focusing on reelection to focusing on tangible accomplishments."⁸
DeSantis believes the movement doesn't even need all 34 states to force Congress to act.
"Well, what would happen if you got to 31, 32 states? I mean, Congress would end up passing it," DeSantis argued. "I think they would want to control, and I think what they would do is probably pass what we want, but they would just say, 'All current members are not subject to it until a certain time or new people are elected.'"⁹
That's the fear in Washington, D.C. right now.
Career politicians see the writing on the wall as more states join the movement.
The system that's protected them for decades is under assault from the grassroots.
And Ron DeSantis is leading the charge to take power away from the corrupt political class and return it to the American people where it belongs.
¹ McLaughlin & Associates Poll, "New Poll: 83% of Americans Support Term Limits for Congress," U.S. Term Limits, February 10, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Gallup Poll, "Congress' Job Rating Sinks to 15%; Trump's Steady at 41%," October 22, 2025.
⁴ "12 states passed resolutions to force term limits on Congress," CNBS News, July 7, 2025.
⁵ A.G. Gancarski, "Batter up: Ron DeSantis deems term limits a 'hanging curveball,'" Florida Politics, December 13, 2025.
⁶ "DeSantis takes on new role: Pushing for congressional term limits," MyNews13, November 5, 2025.
⁷ Gancarski, "Batter up: Ron DeSantis deems term limits a 'hanging curveball.'"
⁸ "Governor Ron DeSantis Advocates for a Constitutional Amendment for Congressional Term Limits," Executive Office of the Governor, May 13, 2025.
⁹ "'So frustrated:' Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis calls for new national amendment," ClickOrlando, December 13, 2025.
