Congress Returns to Total Gridlock

Congress returns today with many pressing issues and little guarantee that any of them will be dealt with, the New York Times reports.

“Even in some of the worst years of partisan gridlock, a deadline has meant something to Congress — until 2013. Drop-dead dates have come and gone this year, causing real-world consequences. On Jan. 1, tax rates went up not only for affluent families, but also for virtually all workers when lawmakers looked the other way and let a payroll tax cut expire. On March 1, after leaders from both parties declared that automatic, across-the-board spending cuts would never happen, they happened anyway because of inaction.”

“At this time in 2011, Congress had passed 23 laws on the way toward the lowest total since those numbers began being tracked in 1948. This year, 15 have been passed so far.”

David Hawkings: “The small number of new laws projected for this year, in other words,
is another good indication of the brokenness of the legislative branch.”