Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-SC) criticized Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley's call for a competency test for politicians 75 years old and above.
Sanders shared his critique of Haley's plan as "absurd" on the CBS show "Face the Nation" on Sunday.
Sanders: Nikki Haley’s Call for Competency Test 'Absurd' https://t.co/HwfdBrmWB3
— GOP Contenders (@GOPContenders) February 19, 2023
"We are fighting racism, we’re fighting sexism, we’re fighting homophobia, I think we should also be fighting ageism. Trust people, look at people and say, you know, this person is competent, this person is not competent," Sanders said.
"There are a lot of 40-year-olds out there who ain’t particularly competent. Older people, you know, you look at the individual, I don’t think you make a blanket statement," he added.
Bernie Sanders says 2024 GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley’s proposal for a mandatory mental competency test for politicians older than 75 is “absurd.”
“We are fighting racism, we're fighting sexism, we're fighting homophobia, I think we should also be fighting ageism.” pic.twitter.com/867zNbEIj9
— Becker News (@NewsBecker) February 19, 2023
Haley shared the call for the competency tests during her official campaign launch last week.
"In the America I see, the permanent politician will finally retire," declared Haley, who is 51. "We'll have term limits for Congress, and mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old."
"America is not past our prime," Haley also said. "It's just that our politicians are past theirs."
Bernie Sanders calls to 'fight ageism' after 2024 Republican candidate Nikki Haley demands mandatory mental competency test for all politicians over 75
via https://t.co/WhKOh1BDM6#TermLimits NOW https://t.co/LNidlWP8OO— C26H28N4NA209S2 (@C26N4) February 19, 2023
Sanders is among several Congress members who would fall in the 75 years old and above range under Haley's proposed policy. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is the oldest current member of Congress at 89 years old.
President Joe Biden is already the oldest sitting president at 80 years of age. If he serves a second term, he would be 86 by the end of his time in office.
Former President Donald Trump is 76, just four years behind Biden in age. Haley, at 51, is nearly three decades younger than Biden.
The call for a competency test has certainly fired up some of the older members of Congress, especially Sanders, who took time to criticize the idea as ageism as part of his response that questioned the policy as a personal attack on those who are older.