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There are signs on construction sites all over New York City that (futilely) warn “Post No Bills”. I’ve always thought those signs belong in Congress instead.
A lot of people complain that Congress doesn’t do anything. All in all, that’s an improvement.
The 118th Congress is on track to be one of the most unproductive in modern history, with just a couple dozen laws on the books at the close of 2023, according to data from data analytics firm Quorum.
Just 20 bills have been passed by both chambers and signed into law this year, with another four currently awaiting President Biden’s signature, according to the Quorum data.
That’s far below even historically unproductive first years: The 104th, 112th and 113th Congresses, in which Republicans controlled one or both chambers with Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in the White House, passed between 70 and 73 laws.
When you dig into the laws passed by this Congress, the picture becomes even more bleak.
The vast majority were uncontroversial bills that passed either by unanimous consent or with minimal opposition, including multiple measures to rename Veterans Affairs clinics and another to mint a coin commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps.
Bleak for big government liberal technocrats, sunny and optimistic for conservatives with anti-government tendencies.
Sure, it would be nice if a solidly conservative House and Senate teamed up with a conservative White House to defund higher education, deport George Soros and Pierre Omidyar, and build a border wall that you could see from space. I’m not terribly optimistic about it and with a Democrat Senate and White House, fewer bills are better than many.
Gridlock is preferable to the House being rolled.
The dark side here is that the rolling happened anyway. Massive packages like the NDAA get passed. 3,000-page monstrosities just roll everything inside. And without actual bills, the federal bureaucracy is even freer to roam wild than usual.
Still, I can’t be too unhappy that very little is being accomplished legislatively. Mint that coin and rename that clinic. It could be worse. Much worse.
Yeah, too bad the California legislature doesn’t follow suit.
You’re right of course, but it’s just a touch infuriating to realize that with 535 voting members receiving $175,000 in salaries, that comes in just shy of $94 Million for 20 bills. I know, I know…be careful what you wish for, but back during my Navy days there was a ‘Fraud, Waste and Abuse’ hotline and it’s from there that the public first learned of the $600 hammer and the $5000 toilet.
We only thought that was wasteful. It might be different if Republicans were “holding the line” against wasteful spending and Democrat overreach, but with the 118th if they’re not actively bumbling idiots, they’re trying harder than the Democrats to throw money down the Ukraine drain or pass continuing resolutions to place our great grandchildren further in debt.
Again, you’re absolutely correct in your assertion Daniel. I guess I’m just thinking about all the lifelong good I could do for my community and state with $94 Million…and stopping a legislative “gun” from firing doesn’t make them best, it just means they don’t know how to operate the weapon.
I agree. It’s infuriating. Unfortunately the only thing worse than Congress not doing things is them doing things.
And yes, they’re not really holding the line. It’s chaos and gridlock. And a ton of money is still being spent.
“the only thing worse than Congress not doing things is them doing things.”
Words of Wisdom
Daniel, I wish you were a member of the House or Senate!
I’m not as sanguine about Congress’s inaction. The House failed to use the power of the purse and extended the surveillance State. Nor has there ever been any need to build a border wall. The answer to illegal immigration (now invasion) has always been to outlaw the hiring of illegals and to impose mandatory prison sentences on employers who hire illegals. Ending the benefits + NO jobs = self-deportation. As for illegals that commit crimes, make the consequence proportionate to the offense including the death penalty. Honor the constitutional guarantee of a quick trial and then execute the consequence. What to do has never been our problem, a traitorous left enabled by liberal “useful idiots” has always been our problem.
This is the way.
I can list all the things that should be done.
None of those things are going to happen with a Dem Senate or a Dem in the White House.
The things that will be done (and are being done) are bad things.
A border wall is needed, it’s just not the only solution.
You’re right that ending the hiring of illegals is crucial, but plenty will operate and live in the shadows if they enter the country. Once they have kids here, dislodging them becomes more difficult.
The other factor is that in the past bills like the NDAA would have been separated out into 5 or 10 or 15 separate bills instead of rolled into one take-it-or-leave-it monstrosity.
true, we have 3,000 page bills that are a massive pigfest and we have to pass them to find out how much they’ll hurt us
Congress should try removing some of those useless and destructive laws already on the books, then their popularity might improve. Of course if they did that they could accidentally get rid of some ridiculous and obscure law they might later need to use against Trump.
Samuel Clemens
When Randy Quaid was on David Letterman promoting the TV movie LBJ: THE EARLY YEARS in which Quaid played Lyndon Johnson, Quaid was listing Johnson’s accomplishments, including, “Johnson got more legislation passed than any president.” I thought, “Uh, Randy, that’s not necessarily an accomplishment.”
That’s what LBJ was good at. He would have been better off staying in the legislature.
What a great article, especially the person in the photo sleeping. Just think, we pay six figure salaries to these people. All the while we retirees try to make it year after year on a Social Security pension. I would be willing to sleep in that same chair for half his salary plus my Social Security pension.
My previous comment on another article is better. 100 robots in the Senate, 435 robots in the House would be better. No salaries, no benefits, no coffee breaks, work seven seven days a week, 24 hours a day without cost. They could even do housekeeping duties in the evening. Best of all, they would not take a nap while working and they would not be wearing fancy suits. Did you ever see a robot wearing clothes?
A little humor for the evening.
Regardless of whether Congress passes many or no bills, the unelected bureaucracy will make thousands of rules we can be punished for not obeying.
I would like it to cost $10,000 to be a sponsor for a bill, $5000 to be a c-sponsor. Every law that a congressperson gets repealed will carry a $10,000 bounty, paid to the lawmaker, in cash. Every new law would have a mandatory maximum 5-year sunset clause.