The 113th Congress came to a close on Wednesday December 17th. The House and Senate adjourned Sine Die, the House on Friday, December 12 and the Senate on late Tuesday, December 16th, officially ending the 113th Congress. The 114th Congress will convene on January 6th, 2015.
President Obama signed the $1.1 trillion “cromnibus” spending bill Tuesday night.
According to Gallup, Congress’ approval rating this year averaged just 15%, one point above last year’s record-low average.
As for productivity in the 113th Congress, only 203 bills have been signed into public law so far during the past two years — down from the 112th Congress’ previous record low of 283. In comparison, the 80th Congress, which the President Truman infamously called the “Do Nothing Congress,” passed 906 pieces of legislation into law.
Looking forward, the 115th Congress will see both the House and Senate controlled by the Republican party, and the GOP leadership of both bodies are working out how they can work together. The House GOP has pledged that the first order of business will be a vote to block the Administrations Executive Order on immigration, while the Senate Republicans have pledged to pass legislation to start the Keystone XL pipeline.
Some food for thought…Right now, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll, only 7% approve of both the Administration and Congress while 39% disapprove of both. After significant wins in November, only 8% of Republicans say the country is headed in the right direction.
Happy New Year from the Office of Federal Relations, and we look forward to updating you on the 115th Congress!