The 118th U.S. Congress has achieved a new level of ineptitude, having passed just 20 laws this year, with a few more awaiting President Biden’s approval. According to data compiled by the analytics firm Quorum, the Congress has failed miserably to fulfill its core responsibilities of passing legislation.
With Republicans holding the House and Democrats controlling the Senate, the total number of laws passed in this Congressional session is shockingly low, and is expected to reach only the low 20s by the end of the year.
By comparison, previous split chambers, including the 104th, 112th, and 113th Congresses with Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, passed between 70 and 73 laws.
One of the primary problems plaguing the current Congress is the intense hostility among Democrats and Republicans, as well as internal divisions within their respective Parties. Unfortunately, this year has been marked by an unprecedented level of dysfunction.
Last fall, the Congress was mired in a three-week stalemate after Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, without a suitable replacement at the ready. It took multiple votes, a wide array of potential nominees, and several weeks of bickering before Speaker Mike Johnson was eventually sworn in.
On the Democratic side, a faction of the Party struggled to balance their progressive beliefs with a more moderate stance. Some lawmakers tried to distance themselves from the more extreme leftist rhetoric, such as advocating for the impounding of all gas-powered SUVs.