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Subscribe to RSSAccording to a recent Gallup poll, only 18% of Americans say they approve of the work this Congress has done -- so it's more than likely it won’t go down as one of the more popular congressional bodies.
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
Construction continues on the viewing stands for President Barack Obama's January's Inauguration Day ceremonies, early Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
But with only weeks to go before it concludes, the 112th Congress (2011-2012) is on track to make another type of history.
By passing just 196 bills into law so far, it is in the running to become the least productive Congress since the 1940s.
In fact, that amount is 710 fewer public laws than was produced by the 80th Congress (from 1947-48), which first earned the moniker "Do-Nothing" Congress.
The lack of legislation passed by Congress in recent years has become frustrating to many lawmakers. Outgoing Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) decided not to run for re-election because of the congressional gridlock, partisan politics, and lack of work being done on Capitol Hill.
Rep.-elect Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., and Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wis., talk about the possibility of a bipartisan deal to avoid the fiscal cliff.
“As I have long said, what motivates me is producing results for those who have entrusted me to be their voice and their champion, and I am filled with that same sense of responsibility today as I was on my first day in the Maine House of Representatives. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions,” Snowe said in a statement announcing her retirement last February.
The U.S. House Clerk’s office keeps official records of all congressional activity dating as far back as 1947. During those 65 years and 33 different Congresses, more than 20,000 public laws have been passed.
The 104th Congress (1995-1996) currently holds the record low for passing the fewest pieces of legislation since 1947 -- just 333 bills were passed into law during that two-year span.
A non-partisan group determined to fix the sky-rocketing national debt went to Capitol Hill Wednesday, meeting with both Republican and Democratic leaders. David Cote, chairman and CEO of Honeywell, was among the leaders and he recapped the meeting to NBC's Andrea Mitchell.
The 107th Congress (2001-2002) is next, passing only 377 new laws during its time in Washington.
To avoid earning the distinction as the least productive Congress since 1947, 138 bills must move through the House and Senate before the end of this Congress next month.
And with just 11 scheduled voting days left before the House’s target adjournment date for the year -- and with all eyes fixed on the looming fiscal cliff -- time is running out.
The number of bills passed into law by Congress since 1947:
80th: 906
81st: 921
82nd: 594
83rd: 781
84th: 1,028
85th: 936
86th: 800
87th: 885
88th: 666
89th: 810
90th: 640
91st: 695
92nd: 607
93rd: 649
94th: 588
95th: 634
96th: 613
97th: 473
98th: 623
99th: 664
100th: 713
101st: 650
102nd: 590
103rd: 465
104th: 333
105th: 394
106th: 580
107th: 377
108th: 498
109th: 482
110th: 460
111th: 383
112th: 196 (so far)
Leave a Comment:
tax funded Rome...in Christ days...so does the world..
Don't we already have enough laws..?? Do we really needs gobs more every year...year after year??
like rape laws..your going to have that black child baby..from the one who rape your daughter
No, I'm on your side, but really...Does this country really need hundreds or thousands of new laws every year, year after year???
yes edd i was just talking with you
you people lost because you said people dont work.lazy .they told yall...4 more years
Ya, blah, blah, blah, everyone else is lazy, blah, blah....sure, whatever LOL
that's right where are all those jobs..12 years of tax breaks and no jobs..but hey 2010 was the year of more jobs...what year is it now??
yep it was the federal goverment who made einstien invent the theory of realitivity...or henry ford to invent the car...or the wright brothers to invent the airplane. or edison invent over 1000 inventions i
yes science..get it...
Einstein left Germany because..he seen what Hitler was about to do ..to him
tax money what controls the world ..and that's what you rich people want in office..to control the flow to only you tea nuts
leave my benefits alone
Why would anyone think passing fewer laws is a bad thing? Don't we already have enough?
Look at it this way: Every time a session of a legislative body passes new laws, that's a sign that they didn't get it right during the last session!
We need a constitutional amendment requiring every other session of Congress to pass a budget and do nothing else but repeal laws.
yeah people we have enough laws...just let the tea party change the constitution...then we can talk about to many laws
according to the idiot far left...the founders came here with a boat load of money established a huge federal goverment build roads. then sent word its ok to come over now
Oh blah, blah, blah, everyone on the left is an idiot, blah, blah,,,,whatever LOL
try if you dare to read elvis comments...
now your getting it tax money
bill gates is a liberal...and he pays taxes..to build those roads..get it
Oh more blah, blah, blah, liberals are idiots and morons, blah blah, doom and gloom, blah, blah, blah..... ya sure, whatever LOL LOL
when i say no ore tax breaks that means Democrat and republican dummy
amazing how europe was such a backward place, it had all these laws, taxes a king....
no whats amazing..the republicans have it right..the government is spending more than it is getting in...yeah 12 years of tax breaks duhhhh
Oh blah, blah, blah, Europe this, Europe that, blah, blah....whatever LOL
Oh blah, blah, blah, anyone that thinks different than me must be a mooch, blah, blah, ya sure, whatever LOL LOL
Wasn't it just two years ago that we got to watch John Bonehead protect the interests of the filthy rich, just in time for Christmas? I'll bet they really appreciate John Bonehead down at the Country Club. They might have had to make-do with turkey instead of pheasant.
yep thats them
guess how many permits thomas edison had to apply for? 0
from taxes he had to pay taxes hahahahaha
Ya ok, whatever LOL LOL
sorry dumbphuc there were no fed taxes prior to the 1920's and the first federal tax was 1%
Oh blah, blah, blah, sticks and stones, whatever LOL
yep the federal goverment forced thomas edison to invent things....or steve jobs to found apple
Oh blah, blah, blah LOL
tax money fella..the man with the tiny brain..joe
I can see the new history book of the tea party..George Washington sailed down the Delaware ..with private money in hand
oh and created America with his own money
I sound like Glenn Beck I better stop
Oh blah, blah, blah, all liberals are uneducated idiots, blah, blah., ya sure, whatever LOL
ok so now california has a liberal super majority...so here come the california economic boom...any day now here it comes....still witing
Oh blah, blah, blah, California is this or that, blah, blah...whatever LOL LOL
come to Texas..Rick perry for life..but we tea nuts want short term right
$ 223,500 Rep. John Boehner (-Ohio, 8th)
$ 174,000 Rep. Sandy Adams (-Florida, 24th)
$ 174,000 Rep. Robert Aderholt (-Alabama, 4th)
$ 174,000 Rep. Todd Akin (-Missouri, 2nd)
WE PAY THESE LOSERS THIS MUCH MONEY TO SCREW THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES.
any political party out there is smart enough to see THEY DIDNT EARN 1 DOLLAR,they are the
WELFARE Receptants of the USA we the PEOPLE pay these losers,and were the ones that suffer.
I dont care if your a Rep or Dem or Independent this is wrong.Im not buying the products they are selling why should the people buy what they sell to us.
They (congress) needs a 33% pay cut across the board period.
ok here we go california has just recently fallen to 9th in the world from 4th gdp wise....and it has lib super majority and carbon tax....how long till it keeps falling?
Oh blah, blah, blah, California this or that, blah, blah...ya sure, whatever LOL LOL
New laws, we have enough already. 225 years of passing laws, I think we pretty much covered it. If some new tech, drug or crazy gun comes out that's not already covered then fine outlaw it. But the bi partisan system is a bunch of B.S., and they make way too much money. If congress members were paid even $50,000 a year, which is more than I make. There would definitely be a different atmosphere on the floor. There would be a congress that actually cared about us instead of themselves and their egos.
“As I have long said, what motivates me is producing results for those who have entrusted me to be their voice and their champion, and I am filled with that same sense of responsibility today as I was on my first day in the Maine House of Representatives. I do find it frustrating, however, that an atmosphere of polarization and ‘my way or the highway’ ideologies has become pervasive in campaigns and in our governing institutions,”
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)
(Not running for re-election)
The United States is failing right in front of our eyes. You get garbage from garbage and a majority of our citizens are too apathetic to see what is happening. We have already fallen off of the fiscal cliff with 16 trillion in National Debt and record high poverty levels but at least black friday had record internet sales!! What a joke we have become.
Okay. Now, how many Democratic bills were cock-blocked by the Rethuglican-majority House...? Were ANY of them aimed to help industrial special interests, like many were during the Cheney Administration? Go ahead. Look up all the bills defeated by the House for the last four years, and see who they would have benefited.
Elected to serve the interests of their constituents, my a$$...! The Congressional elections of 2010 are going to go down in history as the worst thing that's happened to America since Pearl Harbor.
The republican have it right...we had a good economy 12 years ago...2 wars start up..they give the tea nuts a tax break....the economy goes to doo doo...then Obama Bale's out the doo doo we still don't have money coming in.remember 12 years of tax breaks..and they say its the spending part..smart dummies they are huh
When the President of the United States is an empty chair there is a major leadership vacuum. Obama is supposed to lead Congress to take the country in a positive direction. Obama has failed. In fact, Obama has divided the country. We are lucky there is not a civil war!
yes Danny excellent answer, but what gets me is, if only 18% of the people think that congress is doing their job, please can someone explain to me why all those so called honorable gentlemen and ladies got re-elected on Nov. 6. Furthermore the so called persons run in 2010 with the promise to create jobs and reduce spending, but no one tells the American public that in 2008 the revenue base for our contry shrunk by what 10% and shrunk even more over the past 2 years, because the so called job provider feel insecure with an tax increase, just listen to those so called corp. executives on TV interviews, telling the American public they are not re- hiring isf someone leaves their employment, mainly because but those guys dont say that we find cheaper employees in under developed countries and just become a sales and marketing organization, they CEO's still receive their paychecks and Wall Street ia as happy as a pig in s.
The GOP is dead meat ... and I'll tell you why.
They will fight against raising taxes for the wealthy until finally the Bush tax cuts will expire. Blame will fall everywhere and both parties will get some heat.
At this point, Obama and the dem's will propose a tax break for those making under 250K and make it retroactive. The republicans will fight this because there isn't a provision for the wealthy. Now, the GOP will have to try and explain to people ...people who are barely making it and who are seeing their paychecks getting blasted ... that the rich who aren't feeling this at all need a tax break or no one gets one. Good luck trying to sell that bridge to nowhere.
The rich may be able to finance elections but as we found out recently, they can't buy the win. If the GOP goes against the majority of VOTERS they will be voted out of existence ... or at least for a generation or two.
The GOP has three choices: Accept the dem's proposal to raise the tax rate on the rich now. Accept the new tax cuts that excludes the rich at a later time after the Bush tax cuts expire or refuse to give the middle class any form of tax break at all, simply because the wealthy don't get one.
Either way, the GOP will lose. The question the GOP needs to decide, is which path causes the least damage?
hey stupid...say good by to your tax breaks...funny money will be coming in again
Well said Mike! Your analysis correct!
we are the ones who elect these people,maybe its us that sucks.
you have that right...tea party was a good thing they thought
TELL BOEHNER AND THE REPULICAN OBSTRUCTIONISTS IN CONGRESS TO STOP THE DELAYING & DISTRACTING AND THE GAMES AND PASS THE MIDDLE CLASS TAX CUTS NOW!!!
Add Your Voice Here ->: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/taxes/tax-cuts
NOTICE TO EVERYONE READING THIS: Begin now talking to your friends and neighbors about RECALLING EVERY Republican member of Congress----House and Senate. Start today! The country has it with these people! Bring them home and elect people to Congress who represent the sensible people of this Republic and tell the poorly educated, far right wing, extremist, fanatics to crawl back into their evil, sinister, holes from which they emerged!
msnbcliberallystupid: You wrote: "I don't get a SINGLE tax deduction you idiotic loser. I don't have kids, don't own a home, and don't have my own business. So, again thanks for once again proving you are an idiot." You poorly educated, far right wing, extremist, fanatic. Why should anyone listen to a TOTAL loser like you??!!?? Simpleton!
geeeeeeeeeez...........
Perhaps Republicans perhaps not. But certainly, changing the vote thresholds and eliminating the Filibuster would go a long way moving things along. But I think until we get everyone out of congress over the age of 50, we will continue to have a congress that has no interest in you or I and the problems we face.
I don't think that age per se is the problem, but that so many over 50 have been in congress for 20-30 years and corrupt over time as they become more and more indebted to special interest groups.
Term limits is the only way to try and resolve some of the corruption.
tell that to Texas..one
I think it is pretty obvious we need a clean slate more or less. The current congress is just not producing results and in a capitalist society, a lack of performance should be grounds for termination of employment.
Apparantly not, Obama got re-elected!
But they ARE performing. Republicans were elected specifically to block the democrat destruction that went on the first two years and they are doing exactly that.
The number of laws passed should NEVER be considered a metric of congressional performance, the more laws they pass the less freedom we have. Of course you will love it when a law restricts the "other side", the problem is they will love it when the law restricts yours. Ultimately it's a lose/lose situation.
Congress should be judged on how well they protect the constitution and individual freedoms, most of the laws they have been passing have done just the opposite.
You've fallen for the BIG LIE that government is the answer to all problems, when in fact they are the cause of most.