Critical Analysis

1. What is the difference in the age of the youngest and the oldest member of the 118th U.S. Congress?

2. Given the age requirements of the U.S. Constitution, which chamber must the 26 year-old Congressperson be a member of: the House or the Senate?

3. The median age of voting House lawmakers is 57.9 years, down from 58.9 in the 117th Congress (2021-22). The new Senate’s median age, on the other hand, is 65.3 years, up from 64.8 in the 117th Congress. Why do you think the median age of the Senate chamber is higher than the House?

4. The median age of all members of Congress is 58. The median age of Americans is 38. What explains this difference?

5. Describe one political consequence of electing a Congress that is relatively older than the U.S.

6. Describe a political issue or policy you would consider a youth issue, and a political issue or policy you would consider an elderly issue.

7. Imagine the next Congress had a median age of 30! Describe two policy changes which you imagine would result from this age change:

8. If you were to rewrite the age requirements for the U.S. Congress for today, what would the age minimums be?

9. According to the visual below, which American generation (Millennial, Gen X, Boomer, Silent) has the most members of the U.S. Congress?*

10. In 1776, the American colonists left England because of “taxation without representation.” Would it be fair to say that people under the voting age have taxation without representation?

Visual Extension*

Learning Extension

Read the Pew Research Center’s analysis of age and the 118th Congress.

Action Extension

Contact one of the millennial members of Congress and write them a congratulatory email.