Sen. Lee doubles down on term limits for Republican leaders in upper chamber

Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee doubled down Wednesday on his push for invoking term limits on Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate, claiming that the change is "long overdue."

Lee's letter was a direct response to Sen. Thom Tillis, who early in the week proposed changes to the conference next term that would give the party leader more power over committee assignments and naming the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC). 

Lee said that when it comes to term limits, it would make it easier for senators to rise within party leadership and prevent someone from monopolizing the position for decades.

"I believe that term-limiting the Leader is a long-overdue reform that would allow future talent to rise within the Republican conference, thereby ensuring that the conference gets the best of new ideas, creative approaches to leadership, temperament, and talent,"  Lee told Senate Republicans in a letter obtained by Politico.

"While it is technically true that the Leader is open to challenge every two years, the reality is that the power of indefinite tenure disincentivizes any real effort to mount such a challenge," he added.

The Utah senator admitted that Tillis had valid points on some issues, but rejected the idea that the Republican conference should run more like the Democratic conference. 

“It is a strength of our conference — not a weakness — that we represent a diversity of viewpoints while generally agreeing on a conservative philosophy,” Lee wrote. “Allowing our differences to play-out in the legislative process is the best way to determine consensus and build unity.”

Lee's comment is the latest example of an increasing strain among GOP senators, and comes as the party debates who should lead them after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from his role.

So far Senate Minority Whip John Thune, and Sens. John Cornyn and Rick Scott have thrown their hats into the ring.

Misty Severi is an evening news reporter for Just the News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.