Reaffirming the Twenty-second Amendment.
H. Res. 171 is a nonbinding House resolution introduced in the 119th Congress by Mr. Goldman of New York. Its sole purposes are to (1) reiterate the standard constitutional interpretation of the Twenty-second Amendment—that a President may serve no more than two terms in the aggregate—and (2) declare that interpretation as it applies to former President Donald Trump, effectively stating that he is prohibited from running for President again under the Amendment. The resolution is framed as a formal reaffirmation and political statement, not as a change in law or a constitutional amendment, and it directs consideration by the Judiciary Committee. The text includes a lengthy, fact-specific preamble citing numerous public remarks and statements attributed to Trump about serving more than two terms, as well as references to efforts by others to repeal or modify the 22nd Amendment. The operative portion of the resolution contains two short clauses: (1) the two-term aggregate limit; and (2) the implication that the Amendment would bar Trump from seeking another term.
Key Points
- 1Reaffirms the Twenty-second Amendment’s limit: a President can serve two terms in the aggregate, counting all time served as President.
- 2States that this reaffirmed interpretation would prohibit President Trump from running again for the presidency.
- 3Uses a detailed preamble of “Whereas” statements about Trump’s public comments and related advocacy to illustrate why reaffirmation is timely.
- 4The measure is a House Resolution (nonbinding), not a constitutional amendment or new law.
- 5Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary for consideration.