Sine Die. That’s the Latin phrase for spells the end of the 113th Congress. Phew. While we have a couple weeks before the 114th is sworn in it is worth reviewing what this Congress accomplished … and didn’t.

The most frequent descriptors you hear about this Congress are dysfunctional and do-nothing. Well, they did do something, but they also left a lot to be taken up by the 114th.

By the numbers, 351 pieces of legislation (bills, resolutions, joint resolutions) were passed by both the House and Senate. 25 were simple resolutions that are more about Congressional housekeeping and never get sent to the President. These cover things like minor corrections in passed legislation as it is engrossed and authorizing the use of the Capitol for ceremonies. That leaves you with 326.

All legislation isn’t created equal. Congress just passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill, but it also passed 40 bills  to rename a “facility of the United States Postal Service” aka a Post Office.  

Rather than writing it all out, here are some numbers to describe the 113th Congress:

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It’s also important to look at what didn’t get done. On the one hand, Congress didn’t pass hundreds of bills declaring days in honor of ice cream or beer or other interest groups, as they have in the past. But they also didn’t take up things like comprehensive tax reform, which was seriously discussed. Or enact a full reauthorization of the transportation bill. You can also add military compensation reformand reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act.

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All of this lands in the lap of the 114th Congress. The last two Congresses have had the excuse of not just divided government, but also divided Congress – with the House controlled by one party and the Senate by the other party – something that doesn’t happen that often. The country needs the President and the new Republican Congressional majority to roll up their sleeves, compromise, and lead.

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