The 118th Congress passed the fewest laws in decades
Source: Axios
5 hours ago
If measured by the number of bills signed into law, the 118th Congress was by far the most unproductive since at least the 1980s, according to data from public affairs firm Quorum.
Why it matters: That is not the only metric of success, but the stunning stat is a marker of how difficult the chaos of the last two years made actual legislating.
Every fiscal deadline led to brinksmanship between the Republican House and the Democratic Senate and White House. House Republicans were also beset by infighting and palace intrigue, most notably the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Throughout the disarray, trust between House Democrats and Republicans reached a low ebb making bipartisan compromise rare.
By the numbers: The 118th Congress passed just under 150 bills over the last two years, according to the Quorum data provided to Axios.
That's down from more than 350 passed in the previous Congress in which Democrats held control of both chambers and the White House. The 17 Congresses since the start of George H.W. Bush's presidency in 1989 have passed an average of more than 380 laws.
Zoom in: Split partisan control of Congress and the White House can account for much of the disparity.
Aside from this Congress, the previously most unproductive sessions were the 112th and 113th in which Republicans controlled the House and clashed bitterly with President Obama. After that, it was the 104th, in which President Clinton faced a similar dynamic with a Republican-controlled Congress. Still, those Congresses passed more than 270, 280 and 310 bills, respectively, making them far more productive than the 118th.
Read more: https://www.axios.com/2024/12/30/congress-118th-passed-fewest-laws
Marthe48
(19,408 posts)n/t
onenote
(44,844 posts)Bottom line -- not a lot of bills made it to the president's desk
SupportSanity
(1,190 posts)They've been there to get Trump in and then let the billionaires take over.
BumRushDaShow
(144,523 posts)(OT - now THAT is a geek alternative to the paperclip (as an old chem major who had to take a semester of an electricity and magnetism physics course)! )
SupportSanity
(1,190 posts)putting together radio kits, etc. Heathkit, Radioshack,Allied, etc.
The pic seemed appropriate. But lately I'm thinking of using Brawndo - it has what plants crave. Dunno. Still debating it.
Several people have corrected my spelling resistEr and resistOr.
Anyway,
Thanks for noticing!!!
BTW - I never had a chem class - ever. I worked for a electro-chem company as a consultant and they loved me because they knew that I wasn't going to steal their formulas.
BumRushDaShow
(144,523 posts)and try to get my dad's old Fisher hi-fi amp/receiver to work. I don't recall the exact model but it was one of these -
I later realized that it probably needed new tubes.
SupportSanity
(1,190 posts)When I was a kid, my older sister had one similar to yours and I was jealous!!!
I miss the days of simplicity, two speakers, tubes, dial tuning.
I'm thinking about going back to a regular old flip phone. I miss that too.
Oh, and the cabinet made of wood. I miss that too.
dickthegrouch
(3,618 posts)Has become a quaint anachronism.
Oligarchs and corporations do not fit any of the three requirements.
SupportSanity
(1,190 posts)We've just been seeing the previews.
Timothy Snyder says the first six months will be terrible.
I believe him.
Groundhawg
(1,017 posts)SupportSanity
(1,190 posts)at some point, everything we know now will be wrong.
RedWhiteBlueIsRacist
(358 posts)Disclaimer: subject title is tongue in cheek.
Looks like many of our laws are not worth the paper they're written on, as evidenced by the courts during the trump era. An era that seems never ending.
dickthegrouch
(3,618 posts)Preventing any progress
sheshe2
(88,245 posts)They were a little bit too busy with hours upon hours, weeks upon weeks of extremely important testimony about Hunter Biden. He was a threat to our National security and MTG had the nudes to prove it!!!! They didnt have enough time to pass any stinking laws.
BumRushDaShow
(144,523 posts)and finally did so after 15 votes over several days... while the Clerk of the House was actually running the House sessions. Then they had to spend time getting rid of him, culminating in weeks trying to get a new one, where an "Acting SOH" was installed (with limited powers), with his most important duty being to kick Speaker Emeritus Pelosi and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer out of their offices.
sheshe2
(88,245 posts)They were very very busy not doing the people's business!