Congress moves to raise Capitol Police retirement age
Congress is moving to raise the retirement age for U.S. Capitol Police officers as the department struggles with staffing shortages, overtime demands, and an increase in threats against lawmakers.
The Senate unanimously passed bipartisan legislation Thursday that would allow Capitol Police officers to continue serving until age 62. A separate bill passed earlier this year by the House would allow officers to serve until age 65.
Current law permits officers who receive waivers to continue working until age 60, despite the standard mandatory retirement age of 57 or after 20 years of service, whichever comes later.
The Senate bill was introduced by Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Rules Committee, which oversees the Capitol Police.
Padilla described the proposal as a modest but necessary step as the department faces increasing security demands in the years following the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol attack.
“We simply must continue to increase staffing levels,” Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Sullivan told lawmakers during a recent oversight hearing, warning that heightened security measures and a surge in threats against members of Congress have “overextended the department’s traditional staffing model.”
According to the department, Capitol Police investigated nearly 15,000 threats against members of Congress in 2025, a 58% increase from the previous year. Sullivan said the number of threats in 2026 is on pace to rise even higher.
The staffing shortages have placed heavy burdens on officers already on the force. 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.
He also warned that the department’s protective intelligence division, who are responsible for monitoring and investigating threats against lawmakers, remains thinly staffed.
At the same time, the department has struggled to retain veteran officers, many of whom have left for other federal law enforcement agencies offering stronger pay and benefits.
Supporters of the legislation argue that allowing experienced officers to remain on the force longer would help stabilize staffing levels while preserving institutional knowledge.
“We’re talking about officers who have served for a long, long time and have a tremendous amount of institutional memory, experience, and expertise,” Padilla said on the Senate floor. “They offer immense value to the department.”
Nearly 60 sworn officers are already serving under retirement waivers, according to the House Administration Committee, which is more than double the size of a typical Capitol Police recruiting class.
Padilla said he hopes bipartisan negotiations between the House and Senate will quickly produce a final bill.
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