Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hospitalized since June 14 following a serious health emergency at his Washington, D.C. residence. At 84 years old, McConnell's prolonged absence has intensified concerns about the age and productivity of the U.S. Senate, which holds the distinction of having the oldest average age among directly elected upper legislative chambers worldwide, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

This situation reflects broader issues highlighted by a 2017 study in the Journal of Applied Economics, which found that "as a direct consequence of the obsolescence of their personal human capital," older political elites often fail to "seize the opportunity offered by new technologies and to implement the best choice for the economy as a whole."

Since 2020, eight of the 16 members of Congress who died in office were over age 75, including the late Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.), who served until her death at age 90 in 2023. These facts contribute to a growing public debate about the effects of an aging political class. A 2023 Pew Research Center poll found that 79 percent of Americans support setting maximum age limits for federal elected officials.

The ongoing challenges faced by an elderly Congress have led some, including then-48-year-old Representative Khanna, to describe the current system as a "sclerotic gerontocracy," questioning whether America can "get out of the gerontocracy trap."

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