As the 118th Congress ends, most lawmakers would probably like to erase 2023-2024 from their memories. Over the last two years, they managed to break records and pioneer historic firsts – but not the positive kind folks might later brag about. A look back at the big stories shows not a trend of legislative success, but rather of divisiveness, in-party fighting, and upheaval – especially in the House of Representatives. And compared to previous congresses, the 118th saw an embarrassingly small number of bills signed into law.
Chaos and Strife
From the very beginning, the 118th Congress was plagued by strife as Republican lawmakers fought over who would lead the new GOP majority in the House. It took an impressive 15 roll call votes to elect Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker of the House, holding up the start of congressional work for several days….
