{"id":2378275,"date":"2024-12-10T04:36:01","date_gmt":"2024-12-10T09:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/current-congress-on-track-to-end-as-the-least-productive\/"},"modified":"2024-12-10T04:44:31","modified_gmt":"2024-12-10T09:44:31","slug":"current-congress-on-track-to-end-as-the-least-productive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/current-congress-on-track-to-end-as-the-least-productive\/","title":{"rendered":"Current Congress on track to end as the least productive"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcurrent-congress-on-track-to-end-as-the-least-productive%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2378275&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The \u2063118th congress is projected \u2062to be the\u2063 least productive in modern history, with lawmakers having passed\u200b only 137 bills \u2064into \u2063law out of nearly \u206319,000 introduced since January 2023, resulting in a\u2063 less than 1% success rate\u2014the lowest since at \u200bleast 1951. \u200dThis legislative stagnation is attributed to the divided government, as the House \u2062is \u2062controlled by Republicans and the Senate by\u200d Democrats, <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">making bipartisan collaboration challenging<\/a>, especially in an election\u200c year. With only\u200b two weeks left in the session, there is potential for some last-minute legislative actions, though many significant bills may be postponed until the new Congress \u200cconvenes in 2024. \u2064Experts note that while fewer bills may suggest lower productivity, it doesn&#8217;t fully capture the \u200beffectiveness of legislative actions taken. Moving forward,\u2062 GOP leaders anticipate a\u200b more productive Congress next year, with control over\u2063 both\u200c chambers and the presidency.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Current Congress on track to end as least productive in the modern era<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1890749\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">118th Congress<\/a> is on track to be the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3224451\/five-items-congress-to-do-list-lawmakers-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">least <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/desantis-discloses-timeline-of-2024-decision\/\" title=\"DeSantis Discloses Timeline of 2024 Decision\">productive legislative session<\/a> <\/a>in recent history as the split chambers have failed to pass very few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/legislation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">bills<\/a> that were signed into law.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Lawmakers in the House and Senate introduced nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/search?q=%7B%22congress%22%3A%22118%22%2C%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%2C%22search%22%3A%22congressId%3A118+AND+billStatus%3A%5C%22Introduced%5C%22%22%7D&amp;pageSort=dateOfIntroduction%3Adesc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"19,000 bills\">19,000 bills<\/a> since convening on Jan. 3, 2023. Yet, only 137 have become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bob-barr-here-we-go-again-fear-based-gun-control\/\" title=\"Bob Barr: Here We Go Again \u2013 Fear-Based Gun Control\">public laws<\/a>, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/federal-register\/laws\/past\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">data gathered by the National Archives<\/a> and reviewed by the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. That is less than a 1% success rate and the total is the lowest since at least 1951, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/search?pageSort=dateOfIntroduction%3Adesc&amp;q=%7B%22source%22%3A%22legislation%22%2C%22bill-status%22%3A%22law%22%7D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">which is the earliest year documented<\/a> in the Library of Congress&rsquo;s digital archives.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3240974\/meet-new-congress-house-senate-freshmen-119th\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>MEET THE NEW CONGRESS: THE HOUSE AND SENATE FRESHMEN ELECTED TO SERVE NEXT YEAR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>To be sure, lawmakers still have two weeks to pass legislation that could bump themselves above the low margin &mdash; especially as both chambers have a lengthy to-do list of legislation that must be passed before they expire at the end of the year. The last lame duck in 2022 saw a surge of action, with 148 pieces of legislation being passed and signed into law between the time lawmakers returned on Nov. 14, 2022, and before the next Congress convened in January 2023.<\/p>\n<p>The 118th Congress could begin passing a flurry of noncontroversial items, such as bills to rename post offices. But at the top of lawmakers&rsquo; minds is a slew of disputed bills, such as the appropriations bill for fiscal 2025, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3254257\/house-vote-ndaa-deal-democrats-senate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"National Defense Authorization Act\">National Defense Authorization Act<\/a>, the farm bill, and requests for disaster relief.<\/p>\n<p>If Congress manages to pass those, it would certainly boost productivity. However, it&rsquo;s likely the House and Senate will agree to punt many of those deadlines into the new year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The 118th Congress got off to a slow start as House Republicans adjusted to their newfound majority, beginning with a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/1456921\/speaker-saga-winners-and-losers-of-15-round-vote\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"drawn-out speaker fight\">drawn-out speaker fight<\/a> that delayed any legislative action for the first week. The House was again thrown into a standstill for the entire month of October in 2023 when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/2450398\/mccarthy-ousted-in-historic-vote-to-strip-him-of-speakership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"drawn-out speaker fight\">Kevin McCarthy was booted<\/a> from the speakership, blocking lawmakers from doing any legislative business until that position was filled.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As a result, Congress only passed 34 public laws in 2023 &mdash; one of the most unproductive years in recent history.&nbsp; This year has already proven to be more productive, as Congress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/federal-register\/laws\/current.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">has passed 103 so far.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In fairness, one cannot simply look at how many bills are passed to conclude productivity, according to Charles Hunt, an assistant professor in political science at Boise State University. Oftentimes, lawmakers can fit more policy and funding into fewer bills, making it appear as if less is being done. <\/p>\n<p>But even with that caveat, Hunt said, the current Congress has &ldquo;been pretty historically unproductive.&rdquo; But, he adds, &ldquo;there are understandable reasons for this.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The main one is divided government: for a little bit longer, we have a Senate controlled by Democrats, and a House controlled by Republicans, so this makes it more difficult for the two chambers to get together and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/brooks-biden-is-seen-as-too-far-left-out-of-touch-on-issues-like-crime-and-inflation-because-he-tried-to-pass-something-big\/\" title=\"Brooks: Biden Is Seen as Too Far Left, Out of Touch on Issues Like Crime and Inflation Because He Tried to Pass Something Big\">pass big legislation<\/a>,&rdquo; Hunt told the <em>Washington Examiner. <\/em>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s an election year, too, so bipartisanship isn&rsquo;t exactly in vogue when the parties are spending all year making the case for why the other shouldn&rsquo;t be in power next year.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Although Republicans flipped control of the House in 2022, Democrats have held the Senate and White House, making it far more difficult to get bills passed and signed by the president.&nbsp;Even with those majorities set, Hunt said, the small margins in both chambers have made things far more difficult to get anything across the finish line.<\/p>\n<p>But with Republicans securing a trifecta with control of the chambers of Congress and the Oval Office next year, GOP leaders are expecting a far more productive session.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to ensure all this leadership will hit the ground running to deliver President Trump&rsquo;s agenda in the 119th Congress,&rdquo; House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said last month. &ldquo;We will work closely with him and his administration to turn this country around and unleash, as he says, a new golden age in America.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3253109\/republicans-clash-trump-2025-budget-reconciliation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"still concerns\">still concerns<\/a> about whether the upcoming Congress, in which Republicans will have a historically slim margin in the House, will see even fewer bills being sent to President-elect Donald Trump&rsquo;s desk.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Republicans will enter the 119th Congress with a 220-215 margin, giving them just a two-seat majority. However, the party will immediately be met with three vacancies for the first three months with the departures of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who resigned last month, and Reps. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who will join the Trump administration.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That leaves Republicans with a 217-215 majority, giving them virtually no room for error and a zero-vote margin to pass legislation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>And if this current Congress is any indication, Republicans could still have trouble passing things even with their newfound majorities.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Trump won in a close election, and Republican majorities in both chambers are both quite small. And if this last Congress was any indicator, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/top-ranking-democrat-defends-menendez-over-corruption-charges-trumps-charges-equally-serious\/\" title=\"Top Democrat defends Menendez against corruption charges, says Trump&#039;s charges are just as serious.\">maintaining party unity<\/a> in the House could be a challenge for Speaker Johnson,&nbsp;since their majority is going to be about as small as it was this year,&rdquo; Hunt said. &ldquo;So I don&rsquo;t know that we&rsquo;re guaranteed to suddenly get a flood of new legislation even when the next Congress starts.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The last time Republicans had a GOP trifecta controlling the White House and both chambers of Congress, the party had a significantly productive two years. That was the 115th Congress during the first two years of Trump&rsquo;s first term, during which lawmakers passed 442 public laws.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>That&rsquo;s the highest number of public laws passed since the 110th Congress when the Democratic-led House and Senate passed 460 public laws.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Now that Republicans control the Senate, GOP leaders in both chambers are expressing confidence that they will be able to secure a number of policy wins in Trump&rsquo;s first 100 days in office &mdash; an ambitious timeline filled with a vast array of priorities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The American people expect results, and this Republican team is united in our effort to deliver,&rdquo; incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>in a statement. &ldquo;We have been given a clear mandate to secure the border, advance American energy dominance, strengthen national security, and extend pro-growth policies like the Trump tax cuts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Through a renewed focus on teamwork and open communication &mdash; within our conference, with the House, and with the White House &mdash; we&rsquo;ll turn these priorities into tangible wins for families and businesses across the country.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1890749\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1890749\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Current Congress likely to be least productive in modern history<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2640,"featured_media":2378276,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Republicans-GOP-Congress-ff1e4.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4402,5045,4762,5894,8182],"class_list":["post-2378275","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-congress","tag-government","tag-legislation","tag-politics","tag-productivity"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Republicans-GOP-Congress-ff1e4.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2378275","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2640"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2378275"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2378275\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2378279,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2378275\/revisions\/2378279"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2378276"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2378275"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2378275"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2378275"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}