Congress Passed Just 34 Bills That Became Law in 2023

News Analysis A mere 34 new laws were passed during the first session of the 118th Congress, prompting debate among political analysts, legislative experts, and media on Capitol Hill as to whether the low number points to a congressional productivity crisis or something else entirely. The number of bills that became law in 2023 was the lowest in decades. The first-session average since 1989 is 154. The highest first-session total since 1989 was that of the 102nd Congress in 1991, with 243 new bills passed and made into law, according to National Archives data compiled by The Epoch Times. Political and legislative analysts across the ideological spectrum who were interviewed by The Epoch Times agreed almost unanimously that the sheer number of bills passed by Congress and signed into law by the president isn’t an accurate measure of the productivity of a congressional session, however....