politics
Senate Passes Bill Raising Capitol Police Mandatory Retirement Age to 62
The Senate unanimously approved bipartisan legislation Thursday to let Capitol Police officers serve until age 62, as the department faces nearly 15,000 threats against lawmakers in 2025 and acute staffing shortages. A House bill passed earlier this year would raise the limit to 65. Chiefs have warned that losing hundreds of veteran officers would prove catastrophic.
May 15, 11:15 AM·2m read2 sources
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U.S. Capitol Police officers to continue serving until age 62. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced the bill.
Padilla is the top Democrat on the Senate Rules Committee and McConnell is the top Republican on the committee, which oversees the Capitol Police. A separate bill passed earlier this year by the House would allow Capitol Police officers to serve until age 65. Current law permits officers who receive waivers to continue working until age 60.
The standard mandatory retirement age for Capitol Police officers is 57 or after 20 years of service, whichever comes later. Washington Examiner reported that nearly 60 sworn officers are already serving under retirement waivers, more than double the size of a typical Capitol Police recruiting class. Rep.
Bryan Steil (R-WI), chairman of the House Administration Committee, said no officer should be forced to retire when they can still do the job. Capitol Police investigated nearly 15,000 threats against members of Congress in 2025, a 58 percent increase from the previous year. The number of threats in 2026 is on pace to rise even higher than in 2025.
Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Sullivan told lawmakers during a recent oversight hearing that heightened security measures and a surge in threats have overextended the department’s traditional staffing model. Sullivan said mandatory overtime has become routine, pushing officers to the limit.
“I … am concerned about our reliance on overtime and the impact that it has on our officers and their well-being,” Sullivan said. The department’s protective intelligence division remains thinly staffed.
