INDReporter

112th Congress: the real ‘Do-Nothings'

by Walter Pierce

With just days to go before closing the book on its 112th iteration, the U.S. Congress is poised to earn the title Least Productive Congress in the History of Congress Ever.

With just days to go before closing the book on its 112th iteration - and likely punctuating it with no deal in the "fiscal cliff" budget negotiations - the U.S. Congress is poised to earn the title Least Productive Congress in the History of Congress Ever.

As the Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel points out, the 112th Congress has managed to pass a paltry 219 bills; another 20 are pending President Obama's signature (or veto). By comparison the 111th Congress, which convened in 2009-2010, passed 383 bills and the 110th passed 460.

It's almost a certainty the 112th will earn the distinction. The 104th Congress (1995-'96) currently holds the "least productive" title and it managed to squeeze through 333 bills. And to think, the "Do-Nothing" label coined by President Harry Truman was for the 80th Congress (1947-'48), which passed 906 bills.

The 112th Congress' public approval rating, not surprisingly, stands at 18 percent.

Read the full story here.