We’re only halfway through
the 113th Congress and some who have spent decades in and around the
Capitol say that this 2-year stint could mark a new dysfunctional low that
could make this collection of lawmakers the worst Congress ever.
the 113th Congress and some who have spent decades in and around the
Capitol say that this 2-year stint could mark a new dysfunctional low that
could make this collection of lawmakers the worst Congress ever.
Over at the Hill, they note that the House and Senate are nearly closed
for business until after the mid-term election. Only minor laws and
routine matters will ever make their way to the president’s desk for his
signature between now and November.
for business until after the mid-term election. Only minor laws and
routine matters will ever make their way to the president’s desk for his
signature between now and November.
President Obama sure picked the wrong time to declare a “year
of action.”
of action.”
As congressional approval ratings have hit all-time lows, The Hill recounts the lowlights of this Congress: the government shutdown, the
gridlock over immigration reform, the invocation of the “nuclear option” to
alter the Senate’s rules, the failure to pass a transportation bill, and the endless votes (now 50) by the House to
revise or repeal Obamacare.
gridlock over immigration reform, the invocation of the “nuclear option” to
alter the Senate’s rules, the failure to pass a transportation bill, and the endless votes (now 50) by the House to
revise or repeal Obamacare.
Here’s how The Hill’s Alexander Bolton fames the issue:
“It is not that passing lots of laws necessarily makes a ‘good
Congress,’ and many people would argue that the opposite is true. But even
measures that both parties’ leaders want to get done, such as immigration
reform, tax reform and transportation legislation have scant chance of reaching
Obama’s desk.
Congress,’ and many people would argue that the opposite is true. But even
measures that both parties’ leaders want to get done, such as immigration
reform, tax reform and transportation legislation have scant chance of reaching
Obama’s desk.
“House Democrats and Senate Republicans are both using
this inaction to persuade voters to give them control of their respective
chambers. ‘… It would be hard to find a worse (Congress), for sure,” said
Richard Baker, the Senate’s first historian.
this inaction to persuade voters to give them control of their respective
chambers. ‘… It would be hard to find a worse (Congress), for sure,” said
Richard Baker, the Senate’s first historian.
“Baker … said you have to reach back to the Congresses of
1907, or the late 1850s, to find legislative sessions that matched the current
one in vitriol and lack of cooperation. … Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who was
first elected to the House in 1974 and the Senate in 1984, warned that Congress
had reached a level of acrimony not seen since before the Civil War.
1907, or the late 1850s, to find legislative sessions that matched the current
one in vitriol and lack of cooperation. … Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who was
first elected to the House in 1974 and the Senate in 1984, warned that Congress
had reached a level of acrimony not seen since before the Civil War.
“‘We are at one of the most dangerous points in our
history right now. Every bit as dangerous as the break-up of the Union before
the Civil War,’ he said on the Senate floor.
history right now. Every bit as dangerous as the break-up of the Union before
the Civil War,’ he said on the Senate floor.
